Grace Wales Bonner has been a designer to watch since she graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2014. Her cerebral design ethos pulls from academic and cultural references, fusing elements of her British-Jamaican identity and historical academia.

At just 35 years old, Bonner has reinvigorated the stylistic propensity of Adidas’ most classic sneakers and collaborated with Solange on multidisciplinary outputs. And now she will serve as the new creative director of men’s ready-to-wear at Hermés, making her the first Black woman to be appointed creative director of a major luxury fashion house.

History in the making at Hermés

Naturally, this epoch-making moment is being celebrated en masse, as it should. This appointment, beyond its historical implications, is a testament to the genius that is Grace Wales Bonner and that deserves to be acknowledged for the triumph that it is. But there is a certain bittersweetness to this news. For this to be the first time a Black woman has held this title in 2025 is insulting to the contributions Black women have made in the world of fashion.

Whether it be the erasure of Black women like famed couturier Ann Lowe, who was dubbed “Society’s Best Kept Secret” after designing First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier’s wedding dress in 1953, or the various ways Black women have influenced the style zeitgeist and the subsequent appropriation, this exclusion has been a documented part of fashion’s history.

Reckoning with fashion’s present

According to a study by the British Fashion Council, only 14% of creative directors across luxury brands are women, and only 1% come from minority backgrounds. Conversely, Black women account for over 30% of total sales within the industry.

On the one hand, Bonner’s appointment is a fitting homage for someone with her historical aptitude when it comes to designing. From James Baldwin to Haile Selassie, Bonner’s diasporic references reflect the very history she is now a part of. In that sense, it does feel a bit kismet, if not ironic, that she is the first Black woman to hold such an esteemed position in the fashion world. A student of history becoming a part of it: Sereniditpus, in essence, quite somber in practice.

Perhaps this is just a symptom of existing in society at the intersection of racism and misogyny, but a lot of these firsts have a way of making Black women feel last.