“A-COLD-WALL*”, founded in 2015 by Samuel Ross is a UK menswear brand nearing its maturity having existed for almost 10 years. “A sartorial response to London street culture and the zeitgeist of Britain’s working class” in the brand’s own words, reflects the architectural reality of Britain’s working class and streetwear divisions. I first discovered A-COLD-WALL through Hypebeast’s popular publications in 2015/2016, it was in its infancy but so was I, immediately drawn to its bold graphics, social commentary, and streetwear aesthetics I couldn’t help but immerse myself in it.

The 2010s were streetwear-centric, falling more into the mainstream than ever after crossing the boundaries of subculture with skaters and hip-hop artists leading the charge. Now, entering the high fashion space with collaborations such as Nike and Undercover in 2010, Raf Simons and Adidas in 2013, etc. However, unlike these brands A-COLD-WALL although bearing elements of streetwear set itself apart, specifically Samuel Ross having a disdain for society and fashion’s treatment of streetwear as a passing fad, utilized his graphic design background and architectural knowledge, seamlessly blending elements of design/structure, streetwear, tailoring and graphics to conceptualize a different kind of beast, A-COLD-WALL.

Utility

A-COLD-WALL sets itself apart for multiple reasons, I will be focusing on three key points: utility, philosophy and structure. Utility, as someone who pushes the discussion on utility in fashion myself, I appreciate the implementation of this in the brand DNA, though it can be understood as an industrial designer Ross can’t help but consider the practicality of a system, even one as “basic” as clothing. Utility, specifically utilitarian fashion became a trend with the passing of the Second World War and the introduction of rationing of clothing as a means of conservation of resources. Though utility originated with the military, its application, and ties to A-COLD-WALL stem from a mix of functionality and the anti-establishment/counterculture. The rejection of traditional fashion norms is an overarching theme within A-COLD-WALL that bolstered my love for it. A departure from the mainstream and a lesson on brand identity. Utility in essence is the state of being useful, concerning clothes that involves functionality, durability, accessibility, etc. You cannot talk about sustainability without discussing utility, one facilitates another. To consume less, you must possess clothes of durable and versatile means reducing the need for replacement. This is why a cold wall with its ties to pop culture via streetwear is so important, it sets the trend for other brands to employ similar tactics.

Philosophy

Philosophy, A-COLD-WALL started off as a passion project, their goal like most creations is for the betterment of society through social awareness and material evolution. This goal drove their social commentary, a sphere that is typically a shaky ladder to navigate, it requires a balanced perspective, in-depth understanding, empathy, and critical thinking. Brands typically lack one if not more of the necessary attributes to pursue it properly, although they will stoop to providing empty displays of social commentary for marketing purposes. Samuel comes from a working-class background, he wasn’t afforded the same opportunities as others in his league, which amongst other reasons gives credence to his integrity and effective commentary, integrity being the attribute he believes most brands lack when attempting social commentary. Ross’s first art installation was within the same year of the brand’s inception titled “Space Awareness”, highlighting the difficulties of the working class and the overall limitations placed on them by their social and financial position. The employment of artistic space, tailored clothing, and structured design to champion social commentary shining a light on wage inequalities and their effects, on improving existing infrastructure for the sake of humanity tells you exactly what kind of brand, and person is behind A-COLD-WALL. Now, this philosophy is even more important when we look at A-COLD-WALL’s target audience, the brand has a mixed bunch, but its main audience is the youth, leaders of tomorrow, and future policymakers.

For a society to progress it must have aligned values that contribute to humanity’s well-being, A-COLD-WALL’s actions and attitude towards society directly influence the future as young people tend to mimic their idols. Throughout the brand’s history, to date we see the trend of Ross and his goal of improving existing society, be it through his creation of a more affordable sister label Polyethene Optics, public access to a show or creating grants to support black youth. Likewise, in his desire for material evolution, we see A-COLD-WALL shift to Milan in a bid for evolution, just like utility emphasizes improving quality of life, said improvement does involve introducing better quality clothing, better quality materials and a higher standard of tailoring, such things found in Milan.

Structure

Structure is an arrangement of parts, elements or components used to form a whole. A-COLD-WALL wall from its inception has championed structure, in its various forms. Firstly, the location of its collections, cold, brutalist architectural structures with minimalist features. In the same manner, we have tailoring, a structural endeavour in manipulating the anatomy of clothing to create a complete piece. Likewise, the hierarchy of A-COLD-WALL’s operations: manifesto, sketches, CAD, fabric swatches and colour selection, sampling and reaching audience. Each component combined to reach the result of the creation of a cohesive collection.

A-COLD-WALL’s evolution from the outside looking in can be seen as a systematic one, the first collection of a few pieces in a lookbook, three years in a debut at London Fashion Week, and five years in a shift in operations to Milan. What’s in store for 2025? The brand’s 10^th year, was a monumental achievement if there was one. However, one could view its evolution as systematic, and another could view it as a natural progression concerning the time and effort dedicated to nurturing the brand. I choose to see it as both, as the steely yet cool first impression of A-COLD-WALL still lingers in my mind I view Ross as an architect and an artist.

Although the structure is solid from its strong foundation, critics over time have found “flaws” in the system. Logomania, overtly complex messaging, simplistic designs and unnecessary graphic applications have been stated as the main critiques of A-COLD-WALL. Though there is some truth in this critique which I am not against admitting, every brand is met with some criticism, especially a brand in its infancy. Ross doesn’t have your average fashion background, 25 years old with four years of practical experience from his work with Virgil on OFF-WHITE, Yeezy, HBA, etc. A-COLD-WALL like previously mentioned was a passion project, one bolstered by a desire for change in the existing systems that be, and a desire for artistic expression. These criticisms have diminished over time, as we have seen a shift in A-COLD-WALL’s operations, from his implementation of CAD as opposed to only using hand and material, to his use of more formal wear and fewer sneakers, less obnoxious graphics, generally understandable graphics and a change in location, materials and tailoring that created better quality clothing and more wearable pieces. Though I believe some critique was in good faith, I do believe there were racial undertones from some who believed Ross didn’t deserve a place in high fashion and desired separation of what they believed his brand to be “streetwear” from “high fashion”. Coupled with the desire for high fashion brands to abstain from social commentary, there was what I believe to be an invisible boundary these critics seemed to draw between them. A-COLD-WALL was more than that, but it was clear some critics couldn’t understand the brand or its philosophy, or more so didn’t want to understand it.

Collections

When discussing structure, I cannot dismiss his collections themselves as they are integral components in the existence of the brand. On the other hand, I won’t be going too deeply into this aspect as my goal is to discuss the overarching concept that is A-COLD-WALL and its themes and commentary as opposed to writing a collection review. Every collection in A-COLD-WALL right from its birth possessed a strong message, but his SS20 and AW22 collections truly caught my eye the most.

SS20, this was a turning point for A-COLD-WALL, collecting his GQ Designer Menswear of the Year award, with a cash prize he would later give to Eastwood Danso, an intern of his at the time which spoke to his desire for fashion to be more accessible. “Material Study For Social Architecture”, explored the relationship between material and emotion. The show was made open to the public, a bid to make fashion more accessible to the shut-out wider audience, a true community rather than an elitist subculture. Located at the Printworks London, a nod to his graphic design background and brutalist architecture a repetitive element in his work. This brutalist influence is so important as it speaks to facets of A-COLD-WALL, the minimalist nature of it, less is more, and Ross’s love for materials and the fundamental structures they create. Through this we have a peak into his past and his experience with brutalism in the neighbourhood he grew up in, cold, hard, and structured. We also see the implementation of this architectural style in his asymmetrical bags, the clay makeup on the model’s faces, and the materials embedded in each clothing piece.

This collection explored four materials namely lead, clay, glass and water, materials we encounter in our daily lives, materials that transcend class and status, and another subtle yet forward social commentary. In this encounter with materials, I liken it to emotion and how humans as much as we try cannot escape our feelings. I loved how each material was represented in different forms, shapes, textures and colours, the clay makeup, the elements of the mist creating actual water droplets, the colours of clay found on certain clothing pieces, the transparent glass found in shapes/tonal colour and the lead wrapped around accessories.

Similarly, another reason behind the importance of this collection is the shift in intent as noted by Odunayo Ojo in his YouTube video, “the clothing was supposed to take the form of the human body, as opposed to the focus in past collections in which clothing kind of protected the human body instead of shaping with the human body”. Pattern cutting of the clothing being made to form the human body, an elevation and refinement of utility from past collections. In many ways, this collection was a metamorphosis and a foreshadowing of A-COLD-WALL’s future as we see in fall 2020 where he moved his operations to Milan and began designing more wearable clothing yet still possessing its artistic spirit. Here we see a shift in form and function, an important concept I will discuss more broadly later.  SS20, simply put was a beautiful evolution.

AW22, “Brittle Render, Sequenced Thought”, is my favourite collection of his where we see Ross delve back into his roots. An artistic pursuit void of economic manifestation. We see the physical representation of the question “Is fashion art?”. His iconic staples, with the brutalist nature of both the space being a dark warehouse and the harsh nature of clothing, wearable yet artistic are at the forefront of this collection. It seemed dystopian yet hopeful, a bleak reality of the future contained in clothing. He retained his street-style elements as we saw hoodies unnaturally draped over bodies, trainers, and baggy clothes. However, this collection possessed an artistic luxury streetwear aesthetic, you couldn’t keep it in a box with clothes covered in paint, masterfully tailored coats and Doc Marten loafers which appeared to be a hybrid of a utilitarian boot and something alien. It was another counter-cultural creation. A move we normally expect from Ross at this point but one he manages to surprise us with execution-wise every time.

The headline for this collection should be “Wearable Art”, concise and to the point, effectively conveying what exactly Ross created with this show brought to the public via film. Another signature of Ross’s earlier days, his roots. Performance art is the nature of what a fashion show should be, but what many brands fail to accomplish as they either produce a poor PR stunt, or shoddy clothing lines unable to live up to their show. Utility is seen throughout the show and is a highlight of mine, especially the armoured vests, one I understood to be a commentary on the reality of war and gun violence throughout the world, and a protection and insulation of self from others and the harsh environment (Ross’s childhood and its rough surroundings).

Form and Function

In design and engineering, there is a common principle pioneered by Louis Sullivan that states “Form follows function”, the understanding is that the shape of a building or object should be directly correlated with its intended function or purpose. A bridge, for example, the form of a bridge directly influences its function, to provide a safe and stable passage across a body of water or another obstacle. Brutalism follows this approach as it is characterized by its use of raw, exposed concrete and focuses on functionality and truth in design. This exposed architecture void of ornamental design and additions serves the function of revealing the materials used to create it while serving as an infrastructure the way the architect intended, showcasing the functionality of the architecture. Meanwhile, in art and aesthetics, the form of a composition could complement its function of conveying meaning, a chaotic and vibrant visual piece could convey a sense of energy or emotion. In the same manner, a specific element(form) could represent ideas, emotions and concepts serving the function of said art, a clear example being a circle representing unity across various cultures.

A-COLD-WALL perfectly encapsulates the relationship between form and function in these two subjects. As previously mentioned, we see the use of tonal colours, mainly muted and darker ones to convey a minimalistic meaning and gloomy/bleak existence respectively amongst other interpretations. Alternatively, we also see the use of raw materials, like in SS20 being used to study humans’ connected relationship to materials and the material’s function of holding together the architecture of society. Ross over time has managed to carve out a lane of his own both in the industry and wider society, holding the reigns of streetwear and high fashion in his respective hands as a means to push social change.