Dr. Samuel Ross: Deconstructing Class, Space, and Form

Today, I would like to harp on someone who is a pivotal inspiration of mine, while being as objective as possible. Dr. Samuel Ross, the British designer and creative polymath behind A-COLD-WALL*, is among the most distinctive voices in contemporary wear. His ideas have spawned not only a fashion label but a conceptual platform through which he engages in a critical dialogue about British social structure, industrial aesthetics, and postmodern identity. Ross’s design language is intellectual and utilitarian, experimental, yet grounded in the lived experiences of the working-class. A-COLD-WALL* (ACW*) functions as both a sartorial commentary and a visual protest, leveraging architecture, brutalism, and social theory as key components of its ethos.

To begin, I would like to offer that I have no first-hand experience of Britain. My words are simply observations from a curator who is inspired from across the pond. With that being said, let’s continue.

At the core of Ross’s aesthetic is deep introspection of class division and spatial politics. A graduate of De Montfort University with a background in graphic design and a protégé of the late Virgil Abloh, Ross emerged as a designer interested in more than just clothes, rather, the socio-political systems that shape how we experience and express ourselves through said aesthetic. His early collections often featured garments that mimicked the uniforms of public service workers, from the likes of cleaners, construction workers, and security guards, recontextualized within exuberant silhouettes. This juxtaposition is deliberately displayed through technical outerwear, asymmetrical tailoring, and the consistent use of muted, industrial tones of concrete greys, rusted oranges, and asphalt blacks. Ross offers a design vocabulary rooted in the working-class milieu, elevating it into an artful and architectural expression.

Material experimentation is another crucial element of Ross’s visual language. ACW* collections frequently employ treated cottons, PVC, neoprene, and performance nylons. These materials suggest functionality and durability but are manipulated to possess torn edges, exposed seams, and spray-painted textures, indicating that they have indeed served their purpose. This rawness is a signature Ross motif: garments often appear as though they are in flux, caught between construction and deconstruction. The act of wearing ACW* becomes a performance in itself, a way of embodying the tension between polished futurism and the gritty present. Ross also borrows heavily from brutalist architecture, not just aesthetically but conceptually. Like brutalism’s emphasis on function, weight, and the visibility of structure, ACW* garments often expose their mechanisms. Such mechanisms range from drawstrings to utility pockets, even boldly displaying conventionally hidden seamlines; not as embellishment, but as unapologetic design features. The product is clothing that feels like wearable infrastructure, reflecting how urban environments shape human experience. The silhouettes are often angular and geometric, echoing the monolithic quality of housing estates and industrial buildings that dot the British landscape. This architectural influence is further enriched by Ross’s keen sense of interdisciplinary design, drawing from corner to corner for influence. ACW* extends beyond fashion and into the realm of furniture, installation art, and product design. This extension is not a component, but rather ancillary, reinforcing Ross’s belief that design is not confined to apparel but is a language that permeates all aspects of lived space. His collaborations with brands like Converse, Hublot, and Dr. Martens demonstrate a capacity to translate his aesthetic into different languages of design without losing the brand’s ideological clarity.

A-Cold-Wall x Converse - Geo Forma Boot, shot by myself, Jared Fredrick Loeb, May 26th, 2025.

What distinguishes Ross, however, is not merely his eye for form but his critical engagement with his culture. In interviews and lectures, he often discusses the limitations imposed by systemic inequities and how design can subvert, critique, or at least highlight these boundaries. ACW* is frequently described as "avant-garde," but its innovation is grounded in sociology as much as style. His collections reference ideas from thinkers like Pierre Bourdieu through campaign videos, installations, or show notes that encourage viewers to question what clothing can communicate. In particular, Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, the internalized social norms and dispositions shaped by one’s class and environment, is deeply embedded in Ross’s work. The use of asymmetry, distressed finishes, and untraditional cuts challenged the fashion world’s expectations, mirroring Bourdieu’s critique of "taste" as a class-dependent construct. Ross’s installations at fashion weeks often resemble utilitarian environments, evoking public housing or municipal spaces, which further dramatize the contrast between elite fashion concepts and working-class origins. Ross blurs the lines between what Bourdieu would call legitimate culture and popular culture. He reassigns the intention of garments associated with labor and marginalization, not only subverting traditional style but also forcing audiences to reconsider how we navigate the biases of our social hierarchies. Would a highly esteemed, yet unlabored figurehead don a worker's vest solely due to Ross's design? This direct engagement with Bourdieu’s ideas transforms ACW* into a living critique of the ways social class is both performed and policed through fashion.

For Ross, the working class is not just a source of visual inspiration but a cultural and political foundation. The brand becomes a means to elevate and historicize the lived experience of laborers, migrants, and youth. In this context, Bourdieu’s sociological frameworks enable a vision in which the aesthetic codes of the working class are not romanticized or appropriated but reclaimed as tools to challenge elitism in fashion and design. By doing so, Ross repositions fashion as a site of social debate. A medium through which identity, power, and class can be dissected, reimagined, and ultimately transformed. As ACW* has evolved, there is a noticeable shift from overt streetwear to more refined tailoring and sculptural design, yet the brand’s philosophical underpinnings remain constant. The transition mirrors Ross’s trajectory from an insurgent disruptor to an established leader of thought. Even as the garments become more architectural or minimal, they retain an undercurrent of socio-political intent. Standing as a testament to the power of design as a cultural and political act, as opposed to art as an aloof hobbyist activity. The tension between form and function, the industrial and the human, is never resolved—and that is precisely the point.