Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
Grace Wales Bonner has sartorially championed Howard University within her work. (See: Wales Bonner‘s Fall 2024 collection presenting designs inspired by the HBCU’s collegiate apparel.) This Black History Month, the London-based designer is celebrating the American college’s legacy with a special-edition print publication detailing the university’s lineage called “Howard Universal.”
Through Wales Bonner’s research project titled Between Critique and Hope, “Howard Universal” spotlights archival photography, alumni reflections and student submissions. The publication — which was designed by Pablo Jomaron, the founder of independent publishing house Red Lebanese — features reprints from Howard’s yearbooks, spanning 1947 to 2011. It also comprises images from its Washington, D.C. campus captured by photographer D’Andre Williams, as well as additional photography by cinematographer Bradford Young and stylist Marcus Paul. Alumni excerpts include selections from artist Laraaji and reprints from renowned novelist Toni Morrison.
Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“At Howard University, I felt the presence of an impressive intellectual lineage, one I had long been drawn to from afar,” Bonner wrote in the publication’s foreword. “This tribute to the lineage reveals the phenomenon of everyday expression. The gesture of the student with eyes on the horizon, the dress of the teacher returning to guide, the traces of style as my way into a special history.”
Wales Bonner, the brand, first announced that the designer was developing a free publication honoring Howard’s lineage back in July of 2024 to serve as “an important record of HBCU culture to be cherished by future generations.”
“Howard Universal” will be available for free starting Feb. 3 at the Howard University Campus in Washington, D.C., the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, For Keeps Books in Atlanta, Reference Point Library in London and the Stuart Hall Library in London. Ahead, get a first look inside the special-edition publication.
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
“Howard Universal.” Photo: Courtesy of Wales Bonner
Wales Bonner x Howard University. Photo: D’Andre Williams/Courtesy of Wales Bonner
Wales Bonner x Howard University. Photo: D’Andre Williams/Courtesy of Wales Bonner
Wales Bonner x Howard University. Photo: D’Andre Williams/Courtesy of Wales Bonner
Source: Fashionista.com
