In a historic move, Grace Wales Bonner was announced as the new creative director of menswear at Hermès on Tuesday morning. This marks the first time a Black woman will lead design at a major fashion house. Bonner is succeeding Véronique Nichanian, who is leaving the creative director post after a 37-year tenure at the brand. 

“I am deeply honored to be entrusted with the role of Creative Director of Hermès Menswear,” Bonner, who has been running her namesake brand since 2014, captioned an Instagram post, expressing her enthusiasm about her latest venture. “It is a dream realized to embark on this new chapter, following in a lineage of inspired craftspeople and designers. I wish to express my gratitude to Pierre-Alexis Dumas and Axel Dumas for the opportunity to bring my vision to this magical house.”

A dream indeed. As it happens, working for the storied label has been a long-time goal for the London native, according to a 2019 interview with System Magazine. “A dream of mine would be to work with a brand like Hermès or even a Savile Row tailoring house, as that is at the core of what I am doing,” she told the outlet at the time.

Bonner founded her beloved label after graduating from Central Saint Martins College of Art. Over the years, Wales Bonner has become revered for its impeccable tailoring and preppy, sporty aesthetic. In 2020, the namesake designer began collaborating with Adidas, and has launched collections — which are known to sell out fast — with the heritage activewear brand ever since.

Bonner’s accolades are nothing short of impressive. To date, she’s received countless awards, including Emerging Menswear Designer at the British Fashion Awards in 2015, the LVMH Young Designer Prize in 2016, and the CFDA International Men’s Designer of the Year in 2021.

Nichanian is set to show her final collection for Hermès during Paris men’s week this January, while Bonner present her debut line in January 2027.