Wales Bonner at Pitti Uomo: masterful fusion of African and European culture

Graces Wales Bonner, designer and founder of the brand that bears her name, has become the guest of honour at the latest edition of Pitti Uomo, held as always in Florence, where she presented her Spring/Summer 23 collection; specifically in the Renaissance palace, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, where in addition to enjoying the collection, the installation by the Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama could be seen.

Each collection is even better and we don’t know how, but the British woman always ends up surprising us with her creations and with the final result, the result of her fusion of African and European culture.

Thirty-six looks made up Bonner’s collection, each one better than the last. There was no shortage of tailoring – notably the camel hair coat made by Saville Row tailors Anderson and Shepard – or tuxedo jacket , combined with sportswear such as American-style T-shirts. Belted jackets with button fastenings, knee-length skirts and handcrafted beaded macramé dresses also played their part in W.B.’s SS23.

And as it all took place inside a palace, as you know every castle has a crown. Well, the jewel in the crown of Grace’s collection we dare say is undoubtedly the cobalt blue suede jacket with silver rivets; which is striking not only for its colour but also for its almost architectural shape.

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Cheetah or zebra mules made of cowhide and snakeskin sandals or sneakers added a wild touch to the look.

Finally, we all know that Grace is a big fan of collaborations, just look at the fourth one she has just presented with Adidas Originals. Well, to add even more excitement to her participation as guest of honour at Pitti Uomo, she has decided to unveil in Florence a new collab made with the American artist Kerry James Marshall, which has to do with the Adidas Originals collection and with the silver-coloured pieces that appeared at the show, such as the windbreaker or the football boots.

As of today, Grace Wales Bonner can now boast of having been part of the Pitti Uomo fashion fair, just like designers such as Virgil Abloh, Rick Owens or Raf Simons.