Wales Bonner Fall/Winter 2024: Dream Study - A Fusion of Cultures and Collaboration with adidas

Highlights

• Cultural Richness: The collection is an imaginative encounter with the Howard University experience, celebrating its history with echoes of 1990s yearbooks and campus life, including hip-hop performances and international gatherings.
• Innovative Tailoring: In partnership with Saville Row Tailor Anderson and Sheppard, Wales Bonner presented loose-cut suits with roomy pockets alongside collarless navy shirts with exaggerated button detailing.
• Womenswear Expansion: The collection also featured innovative womenswear looks, including jackets worn without shirts, showcasing Bonner’s expanding range in this category.
• Hip-Hop Influence: Knitted cardigans with exaggerated collars and checkered jackets finished with “WB” branding paid homage to hip-hop style, further elevating the collection's cultural significance.

Wales Bonner's Fall/Winter 2024 collection, revealed at Paris Fashion Week, continues to redefine fashion through her unique blend of cultural references and impeccable craftsmanship. This season's "Dream Study" collection draws inspiration from the rich history and culture of Howard University and is an imaginative encounter with the Howard University experience, celebrating a shining lineage. In yearbooks from the 1990s, depictions of homecoming resound hip-hop performances, readings from the poets, and international gatherings on the campus green.

Wales Bonner's collection for Fall/Winter 2024 stands out for its "rough-edged elegance" and "thoughtful conversation woven into fabric." Each piece, whether it's a tweed skirt adorned with delicate silver embroidery or desert boots with precise studs, tells a story of different cultural elements coming together.

Key highlights of the collection include:

• Knitted Cardigans: Featuring exaggerated collars paired with cargo trousers and stilettos for a refined, after-class look.
• Checkered Jackets and Bomber Jackets: Emblazoned with "WB" branding, these pieces nod to sportswear-leaning looks often seen on campuses.

Wales Bonner x adidas Collaboration

A major highlight of the Wales Bonner Fall/Winter 2024 collection was the continuation of her collaboration with adidas. This partnership introduced a snakeskin Superstar silhouette, a move from the previously best-selling Samba design. The collection also included croc-leather mini bags adorned with the iconic Three Stripes Trefoil logo, blending heritage motifs with Bonner's nostalgic designs.

The Wales Bonner x adidas Samba Pack, set to launch in Fall/Winter 2024, will feature a White leather base with Grey suede overlays, Blue accents, and co-branding on the tongue and insoles. A second Tan colorway with Sandy suede overlays and Off-White detailing is also part of the collection, both sitting atop a Gum rubber sole.

Wales Bonner's Fall/Winter 2024 collection at Paris Fashion Week is a testament to her ability to blend cultural richness, luxury, and wearability. The show's soundtrack features original work from musicians Rashad Ringo Smith and Yasmin bey, luminaries now and forever. Inspired by the evolution of cosmic and conscious expression, it shines a light on the hip-hop sample as sounds are transposed through time and tradition. The collaboration with Adidas adds an extra layer of excitement for fashion enthusiasts eagerly anticipating the release of the new Samba pack.

The stark, trimmed phrases of the Occident seem too bare for the voluptuous child of the sun, hence the adornment. It arises out of the same impulse as the wearing of jewelry and the making of sculpture - the urge to adorn.”

Zora Neale Hurston, Howard University Class of 1920.