[ad_1]
Uwith her razor-sharp cuts and high-brow references, Grace Wells Bonner is a favorite of haute couture. But her eponymous London label has already caught the attention of more consumers thanks to her collaboration with Adidas. The recent one Samba boom can be traced back to a silver version of the shoe she designed. And she was also responsible for the popular sets worn by Jamaican soccer players at the 2023 World Cup.
Her show in Paris on Wednesday night provided further examples of how she can please both camps. The design features classic poppy, satin suits and knitwear, subtly splashed with color, worn with red swim trunks. But there was also a tracksuit with shorts and some new sneakers – including the Superstar – that are sure to cause a stir online.
Prints from Althea McNish were used on some pieces. The artist and designer, who settled in London from Trinidad in the 1950s, has worked on fabrics for companies such as Heals, and her Golden Harvest textile is a bestseller. Transposed into Wells Bonner’s very modern clothing, the sketchy vibrant designs lent a mid-century charm.
Wells Bonner, who has Jamaican heritage, finds McNish inspiring as someone who has promoted a point of view that is not usually part of the mainstream. “She brought what she described as her “tropical eye”, or a Caribbean sensibility, to depict Trinidadian flora and fauna but also British landscapes,” Wells Bonner said. “[She is someone] who carries his legacy and does something that spreads and is very influential.
Bianca Saunders is another British designer in Paris who has looked to The Caribbean. For her show, she approached Jamaica, where her family is from, from a tourist’s perspective. Entitled The Hotel, her collection was partly inspired by the work of photojournalist Bradley Smith and his 1956 book Escape to the West Indies: A Guidebook to the Islands of the Caribbean.
This translated into some smart cuts nodding to resort butlers and drawstring bags and tunics referencing fishermen. But there were also clothes that signaled relaxation: satin daywear, beach shorts and light sequins for evening.
after the promotion of the newsletter
There were fun takes on practical pieces—like a long plastic Mac for rainy days and reusable shopping bags—and Saunders’ interpretation of that holiday classic: the travel tee. One read “Who God Bless No Man Curse,” while another included a recipe for a happy home.
Saunders explained that Smith’s photos provided a filter. “I was thinking what it would be like to go Jamaica in the 1940s, but also using the modernism of my identity,” she said.
The slogans on the T-shirts “come from things you would find in Jamaican households… it’s a Christian country and they use proverbs [such as “Who God Bless No Man Curse”] to live,” she said.
Knee-high boots, worn with wide leg shorts and a relaxed shirt, were a strong silhouette in several outfits and come from observations from past trips to Jamaica. “Even though it’s the Caribbean, people wear winter clothes … Boots are quite a yard culture,” Saunders said.
Saunders won the BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund this month’s £100,000 prize. It follows in the footsteps of Wells Bonner: the latter won the award in 2023, suggesting recognition and support for British designers of color in London and Paris may finally be taking root in fashion.
[ad_2]
