Wales Bonner's Latest Collection: A Celebration of Indian Culture

When Grace Wales Bonner was announced as Hermès’ menswear designer last October, the news produced a rare display of unity across the fashion industry. With her authoritative yet romantic take on men’s clothing, Wales Bonner was the perfect person for the job, not to mention a welcome change from the revolving door of white men who occupy most of fashion’s top jobs. While we patiently wait for her Hermès debut (sadly not until January 2027), the British-Jamaican designer continues to drop collections for her eponymous London label, Wales Bonner. This season, she’s skipped the usual Paris Fashion Week catwalk to drop her collection by lookbook, heading 5,000 miles away to the shores of India instead. “The Wales Bonner Autumn/Winter 2026 collections draws from the elemental simplicity and pursuit of harmony in modernist architectural traditions,” read the collection notes. “From early design ideals of purity to the bold vision of figures like Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi, the collection presents a wardrobe between the practical and the sensual.” Shot by Malick Bodian and styled by Tom Guinness, AW26 sees Wales Bonner reinterpret the Madras check in a muted brown “seasonal” colourway, as well as the Bengal stripe shirt, which originated in India in the 1800s. Elsewhere, Doshi’s architectural style is woven throughout the collection. Born in 1927, Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi is known for his brutalist and modernist innovations in India, and also worked under Le Corbusier in the early 1950s. Interlocking colour blocks and sharply structured suits evoke Doshi’s work, while the naturalistic palette evokes the landscape of India. “Archetypal uniform silhouettes are romanticised through evocative contrasts of fabric and feel,” continue the notes. “Geometric abstraction is repeated in a minimalist grid pattern on a structured topcoat and chore jacket, woven from Italian wool with leather detailing.” This season, Wales Bonner’s much-loved adidas collaboration also returns, with new takes on the Karintha trainer, as well as a purple sports jersey and terracotta striped pullover. Also in collaboration with the brand this season is John Smedley, which lends its hand to some Merino knits, plus André Leon Talley’s favourite tailor, Anderson & Sheppard, collaborating on an indigo linen tuxedo. Scroll through the gallery at the top for the full AW26 lookbook