The brand A-COLD-WALL* was created in 2015 by then-22-year-old Samuel Ross. At that time, he already, despite his age, had an idea about what it was like leading your own premium brand – three years earlier, long before his first products saw the light of the world, Ross used to be the intern of Virgil Abloh, founder of the brand Off-White and the current art director of menswear at Louis Vuitton. So how did this young designer grab the attention of the seasoned fashion guru and his later mentor? You can find out in this article, where we’ll talk about the story of the fashion brand A-COLD-WALL*.
The unconventional title refers to the idea of cold surfaces, which is a common denominator between every social class. Marble colonnades or austere scaffoldings, each evoking the same feelings in two diametrically different groups of people. It’s this look of the ACW* collections, which, despite featuring a high price tag, has a kind of industrial look, that lets you inspect the class differences of today’s diverse global community. According to Ross, to put it simply, A-COLD-WALL* showcases this in a more digestible form.
A young Samuel faced his first challenge at an early age. Brixton, and later Northampton, where he grew up, wasn’t really a place for an aspiring member of the fashion industry. So he decided to follow the path of graphical design in Leicester, which in the end turned out to be a good choice. Right after finishing school, Ross started working in a graphical agency, and it were his creations that caught the attention of Virgil Abloh: “I discovered Samuel’s genius on his Instagram after looking through his about six first posts. I immediately had to contact him.”
And that’s how Off-White found it’s first intern, who worked directly with Abloh on a project that would have a big impact on the world of fashion.
Having a positive attitude towards young talent is something Ross also adopted later on: “I spend a lot of time with kids who aren’t necessarily my interns, but they provide a steady supply of ideas and observations. It’s important not to close yourself off from the world during the creative process, but to share and grow with the others.” he said in an interview with GQ.
In only five years, A-COLD-WALL* managed to become a well-established brand. The original inspiration from the British working class and hand-made products from sustainable materials are still there, while Samuel Ross has gained a number of notable fashion designer achievements, for example getting an award from the British Fashion Council or being the finalist of the aspiring fashion designer’s contest LMHV Prize. The number of fashion shows and events the brand has been affiliated with has increased by a lot – and still is, as well as the brand’s popularity and demand for new collections.
Now you can find A-COLD-WALL* on Footshop, too. So don’t just read about it, but get to know the story, idea and philosophy represented by A-COLD-WALL*.
Or you can continue on with reading about the bench that Virgil Abloh was working with Chrome Hearts for 5 years…
- Summer must burn - 10. 5. 2023
- On Feet: The best sneakers of the week are dominated by New Balance - 4. 5. 2023
- 4 colours of 2023 that define a separate trend category - 5. 4. 2023
