Samuel Ross talks China, collaboration and SR_A

Artist, designer, and creative director Samuel Ross first emerged as a curious trailblazer in cross-industry pollination through his brand A-Cold-Wall*, which he launched aged 25 in 2015. Carving out a distinct identity in the industry, the Brixton-born creative quickly became recognized for industrial fashion design and played a role in streetwear’s meteoric takeover in luxury — he first rose to prominence as creative assistant to the late Virgil Abloh at Off-White. Self-funded at its inception, A-Cold-Wall* achieved rapid global traction and secured over 100 stockists, generating 16 million British pounds ($21 million) in gross merchandise volume in 2023 alone. Ross sold the business to Tomorrow Ltd in February 2024 for an undisclosed sum. Less than a year later, London-based distributor Four Marketing completed its acquisition of A-Cold-Wall* from Tomorrow Ltd, marking a swift evolution in the label’s ownership. Following his departure from A-Cold-Wall*, the designer launched SR_A (Samuel Ross Atelier), a multidisciplinary studio focusing on art, furniture, industrial design, and garment production. In January this year, he introduced “SR_A Engineered by Zara,” the first installment of a four-part collaboration with the global fashion retailer. For Milan Design Week 2025, SR_A unveiled a new collaboration — this time with the Balvenie whisky brand. The resulting installation offered a fully immersive experience, featuring the soothing sound of running water, a fresh floral aroma, and a calming soundtrack. With this project, the designer imbued a brand that is over 100 years old with a fresh perspective. Ross sat down with Jing Daily at Milan Design Week to dissect his approach to life and his storied career. Jing Daily: What did you enjoy about collaborating with The Balvenie? Samuel Ross: We’re strategic in who we choose to work with. And with The Balvenie, there’s this focus on the fact that they’re actually a historian and like a legacy atelier in fashion. The way that they run their business, the fact that the families are involved. There is this entire estate where they’ve protected legacy families who have worked with them for up to four generations, the way that they build the casks, the stories they have to pass on the quality of the product, which is obviously a luxury, you know, consumable. With SR_A, I’m focused on building a future … It’s all kind of part of this broader, broader, long form conversation of building a future. JD: Your installation creates a sense of wellness in viewers. How did this come about? SR: We all felt the context of how we should drink and enjoy whisky, considering how potent it is and how much depth is in the flavor — it becomes a place of Zen, a place of respite. I think it goes into the pairings and the tasting and the flow of how whisky is best enjoyed. To really understand the flavor you need a moment of peace to be able to read the profile. If it was like a high octane party environment, it would feel misplaced, and I think it would go against the values that The Balvenie displays so well, which is almost this timeless feel of luxury. So, having a moment of peace in the midst of Salone, we’re so aware that everyone is like rushing around between A to B and offering just that moment of peace and calming environment felt like the right direction to explore for the installation art. JD: What does a brand like Balvenie gain from creating an exhibition-style event like this? SR: They gain the ability to tell new stories and to recontextualize their maker. JD: What’s your criteria for brand collaborations? SR: We really enjoy working with legacy families, where the families who founded and built the companies are still heavily involved. Our relationships are always direct with leadership and with families. It’s never through agents. It’s always a face-to-face dialogue. It doesn’t matter if it’s LVMH, or Apple, or Nike, or Inditex, it is always direct, and we’ve been able to build these relationships in which trust is established. JD: What has been your biggest source of inspiration this year? SR: Authentic storytelling. Spending more time developing my own personal style and finding ways to bring that to the people and to friends and people who have been part of my journey — I’m finding a place where, like the way I wear a hoodie, or a sneaker is starting to be reflected in the products that I put into the world. JD: How do you stay inspired? SR: Training is my relief. It is my go to if I need to unblock the mind. If I just need an outlet, I'll either train, or paint. Brands always have the expectation for me that they want a bang, something new … a jolt from Samuel. We don’t expect to see the same in each of my different collaborations. But I do get bored very easily, so I have to push newness always. I don’t really run out. I’ve never had a problem of not having an idea. Design school teaches you to problem-solve. So, you have a strategy of how to produce ideas. So, there’s never a moment where I don’t have a way of looking at solving the problem creatively. JD: Why do you think more fashion designers like yourself are willing to work with mass market brands like Zara? SR: Well, it depends on what the designer wants to achieve. But I don’t know why every designer wants to work with more accessible public companies because I can’t speak for all of them. Democracy has always been a massive part of my story, and my interest tied to fashion, whether that is social, political stories via A-Cold-Wall*, or whether it’s the employment structure we have developed for SR_A and for A-Cold-Wall*, which is highly diverse and very young. The third wave culture, zeitgeist, underground subculture has always been about the people and access. But, the other luxury canon, which is more traditional, high-brow fashion has always been quite aggressive in its exclusionary nature... I don’t know why they want to work with more democratic partners. But I do appreciate both sides of luxury. I can appreciate [music] cyphers that are happening in London with Lancey Foux or Wiser. But then I care as much about being shortlisted for the FuoriSalone award. Both are urgent. JD: What was the last piece of work you read? SR: Monocle, I read monthly. FT Weekend, I read most weeks. I've actually moved to a lot of philosophy podcasts. Usually they’re hosted by Melvin Bragg and like the BBC. Moral Maze, Andrew Huberman, Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin … Then I listen to transcendental meditation. JD: Do you have a place you go to to feel inspired? SR: I’ve just acquired this property which is really rural, with 2.5 acres. I see it as a place of contemplation and peace. I like to travel, too. I don’t necessarily go to the U.S. to have a moment of respite, but I go to be inspired by how optimistic our friends are there. That’s something which is really important. JD: Do you have fond memories of working in China? SR: Yeah, I do. I mean, the first time we brought A-Cold-Wall* to China in 2017 really sticks out. We did an activation in Hong Kong, and then in Shanghai, and then I’ve gone back every 18 months or so since 2016. Just before I left to open the last store in China, I remember thinking: this place is such a huge part of how I see my people — culturally, in terms of interests, and how they understand the kind of work I make. China’s a massive part of that story. I think there's such a great sensibility there; such an openness to new ideas in fashion. China really embraces that. I’ve always felt that the purer the design, the more likely it is to be understood in China. Honestly, sometimes in Europe, in the U.K. especially, it takes longer for people to really get what I’m trying to say with fashion. But in China, Japan, even North America, those ideas seem to be embraced more easily. JD: In what ways are you running SR_A differently to A-Cold-Wall*? SR: The main difference really comes down to the objective. The goal of SR_A is to build a storied, independent maison and atelier over the next 10 to 15 years — something that lives at the intersection of luxury industrial design and highly specific, artisan-made garments. Those are the two core pillars of SR_A. We’re not interested in simply repeating the traditional model of how maisons have operated. There’s no point in that. Instead, we’re proposing a new way forward. Of course, we learn from the old model — we’ve worked with incredible partners like The Balvenie to understand how a maison behaves, how it tells its story, how it treats its clients. But we’re a new generation, and we need to bring our own perspective — our own take on what a maison can be today. It’s a similar spirit to what Ramdane [Touhami] did with Buly 1803, what Ben [Gorham] did with Byredo, or how Jerry [Lorenzo] built Fear of God. These are all dear friends — some a generation or so ahead of me — but at this point in my career, I’m deeply focused on building a maison that can reach the same kind of heights. Jing Daily presents Jing Masterminds — a fortnightly, exclusive interview series profiling today’s most iconic names in art, fashion, commerce and culture. Delving deep into their personal journeys, creative processes, business strategies and societal impacts, the series offers readers an intimate look at the lives and minds shaping our industries.

Samuel Ross talks China, collaboration and SR_A

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Published April 13, 2025

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Samuel Ross talks China, collaboration and SR_A