Under the unpredictable skies of a Parisian summer, guests waited patiently in the courtyard of La Monnaie (the French capital’s historic Mint) for Wales Bonner’s Spring/Summer 2024 show. Entitled Marathon, the show (including the lengthy wait time) seamed together every aspect of athleticism’s greatest race: walking around a circular track with lithe gait, the models included professional athletes Tamirat Tola and Yomif Kejelcha. There was even a replica of champion marathon runner Haile Gebrselassie’s adidas Neftenga shoe, inscribed with the record-breaking time in which he completed the 2008 Berlin Marathon. But, as the show notes clarified, this was more than just sport – the collection was an “ode to long journeys and life missions. A celebration of soulful pursuits and inspired movement.”
Treading between Bonner’s own collection and her continued partnership with adidas Originals, there were two personas present within the show, she explained afterwards: a pastoral, elegant character and a runner (the designer was previously a runner herself). Brightly coloured tracksuits were balanced by checked Mac coats and impeccably tailored suits (perfect post-race podium wear), produced in partnership with Savile Row tailors Anderson & Sheppard. Elsewhere, the designer continued her mastery of the high-lows of athleisure and luxury. High-cut running shorts were steadied by more formal blazers or long-sleeved polos; airy sports fabrics were weighted with raffia woven vests. The show also introduced a new footwear collaboration with UGG in the form of a shearling-lined loafer. Elegant and cosy, the shoe was conceived of for “restful interludes,” – or perhaps for feet weary from the marathon of daily life.
It’s this meticulous attention to the oft-overlooked details of garments, and of life, that has long set Bonner apart from her peers. Collars and cuffs of shirting and parkas were embellished with silver studs, and a soft, all-white women’s silhouette was overlaid with a beaded vest (made from Ghanaian glass beads that clinked gently with movement).
Bonner’s Marathon was in no way a competition, but rather an entry to the graceful state reached through the plodding rhythms of long-distance running (or from watching the designer’s exquisite show). Set to the enlivening sounds of musician HaddinQo on the Masenqo, a traditional Ethiopian stringed instrument, the collection resolved as a contemplation, a meditation on pace, repetition, and journey. The runway traced by the models was perhaps even circumambulatory, ceremonious and soulful in stride. Every look, and everyone, came out a winner in Bonner’s S/S24 marathon.