A-Cold-Wall’s Samuel Ross Talks Self-Improvement
CREATIVE CHALLENGE: Samuel Ross, the designer behind the buzzy streetwear label A-Cold-Wall, wants to keep moving forward and to be doing so sustainably.
That’s why Ross is joining a group of fellow creatives — including model Jazzelle Zanaughtti, who is known under the handle @UglyWorldwide on Instagram; singer Rina Sawayama and screenwriter Lena Waithe — and participating in a project spearheaded by Mercedes-Benz, dubbed “How To” and highlighting the importance of innovation and learning new skills.
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“I was attracted to this idea of efficiency, mobility and a focus on the future [that Mercedes-Benz stands for]. It’s incredible how something that began as an automotive narrative is developing further into painting components of what the future may look like. ‘How To’ in my own words really is about how to innovate, how to move forward, how to embrace mobility and how to become agile,” Ross said.
The idea behind the project is to add a more conceptual element to Mercedes’ yearly fashion campaigns, so through “How To” — which was teased on Instagram today, with the release of a video and campaign images featuring the group of young creatives posing together — the company is aiming to share practical advice “to encourage self-improvement,” shine the spotlight on the skills that made the likes of Ross and Zanaughtti famous and encourage them to experiment with new ones.
Ross plans to focus on skills that will help him embrace sustainable practices both on a personal and professional level: “I’m interested in filtering the philosophy of sustainable practices into the nuances of everyday life — primarily through fitness, calisthenics, running and hiking. My interests are expanding into good design, intelligent design, redefining oneself through practice, discipline and repetition. I find this sharpens the mind, and in turn increases my output of critical thinking and design endeavors,” said the young designer, who was named British emerging men’s wear designer at the Fashion Awards in London, last year and has established a dedicated following around his buzzy street wear collections for A-Cold-Wall.
He is now working toward also establishing a solid internal structure for his business. “My focus is on redefining the retail experience, through a manner that represents A-Cold-Wall and encouraging sustainable facets of the company — such as all packaging moving to sustainable, recycled materials. Regarding aesthetic and garment; functionality, simplicity and a new hue of maturity will be visible throughout the collections to come,” he added.
Following the release of the “How To” campaign images, Ross asked his fans on Instagram what are some of the new skill sets they’d want to discover and will soon be sharing more information on the skill he will choose to explore further alongside the Mercedes team. He will then reveal the result of the collaboration with an event, slated for later this year.
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