Editor's Note: The headline has been changed to reflect more specific terminology around African slave spirituals and choral harmonies, which inspired this collection.
The TL;DR fashion review: Strong collection, emotional and thought-provoking.
LONDON -- A catwalk star was born. Grace Wales Bonner debuted her collection in London on Friday, at London Collections: Men.
The designer drew inspiration from African slavery. Entitled "Spirituals," the collection was about black spirituality at its core.
"Spirituals are choral harmonies sung by African slaves in the United States," she explained in her show notes. "Communal practices of song and dance invoked the sacred as a means to defy corporal suffering and escape into the spirit."
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Beyond symbolism, Bonner's show was breathtaking. She showcased a strong sartorial collection, prompted imagination, ignited thought-provoking dialogue, and pushed intellectual creativity.
Bonner is young Central Saint Martins graduate who won the L'Oreal Professionnel Talent Award for her graduate collection, "Afrique." Later, she debuted "Ebonics" for fall/winter 2015, a gender-bending collection that examined black male identity and sexuality. From there, her career revved into overdrive. I-D wrote that her show was full of "defiance, black power salutes...powerfully uplifting as it was mournfully gorgeous."
Dewy skin backstage at Wales Bonner. #LFC pic.twitter.com/qk9euqEhgX— David Yi (@seoulcialite) January 8, 2016
At Friday's show, she examined the black male — his sexuality, gender and identity — through a mixture of masculine and hyper-feminized tailoring. There were cinching of the waistlines in flared trousers, checked suiting with shimmering, classic tailoring with a side of bedazzle (that's fashion speech for Swarovski crystals). The trove of androgynous looks in velvets and silks were sumptuous, sexy and self-assured at the same time.
The later looks showed lavishly accessorized models with blinged out statement chokers and bracelets. Each had dewy orange bronzer painted on his face, with a sashay all his own.
Wales Bonner's powerful show entitled, "Spirituals," based on chorale sung by African slaves in the U.S. #lcm pic.twitter.com/0gVhEdstpW— Mashable Fashion (@MashableFashion) January 8, 2016
Finale of Wales Bonner's excellent collection at #LCM https://t.co/bfNh1DTVu5— David Yi (@seoulcialite) January 8, 2016
It was apparent that the biggest sentiment from Bonner was that men can be whoever they want. And this group wanted nothing else than to be adorned.