Winner of the Emerging British Designer prize at the 2018 British Fashion Awards, Samuel Ross has become a household name since first launching A-COLD-WALL* in 2015. Shortly after its inception, the brand became a rapid success with revenues of $1.7 million between 2016 and 2017, and stockists that include Ssense and Barneys New York.
Ross studied graphic design and illustration at De Montfort University in Leicester and after graduation went into commercial design, balancing his professional work with his own creative output, which spanned experimental film, street art and a streetwear label named 2wnt4 — which he set up with long-time friend Ace Harper. During this time, in April 2013, he caught the eye of Off-White founder Virgil Abloh, who hired Ross to work for him as a creative assistant before the inception of Off-WHITE and during its formative period.
He founded A-COLD-WALL* in 2015 as a self-funded label inspired by the British class system that reflects on Ross's personal story: growing up in a working-class neighbourhood and studying design. Since launching the label Ross has gained a loyal following and steady growth, landing him global stockists including Barneys New York, GR8 in Tokyo and Selfridges in London. Ross uses a direct approach to his fan base, carefully evolving his label on his own terms. In 2018 he unveiled an A-COLD-WALL* womenswear line.
In 2017, A-Cold-Wall was one of the NEWGEN recipients. The label was a finalist for the ANDAM grand prize award in 2018 and was one of the finalists for the LVMH Prize. In the same year, he won the prize for Emerging British Designer at the 2018 British Fashion Awards. Samuel Ross was also featured in the Forbes under 30 list, as well as the Business of Fashion 500. To date, Ross has collaborated with Daniel Arsham, FUTURA, Hiroshi Fujiwara and the Architectural Association School of Architecture and yielded a diverse array of capsule collections. His work with Nike and Oakley has cemented him as a valued artistic contact for both companies – three seasons of collaborations being the result.
Beyond A-COLD-WALL*, Samuel Ross has turned his hand to curating living spaces by way of CONCRETE OBJECTS. Alongside designer Jobe Burns, Ross takes rough brutalist aesthetics and refines them in the creation of impactful objects for daily use.