Samuel Ross

British designer, creative director, entrepreneur, and artist Dr. Samuel Ross epitomises the term multi-hyphenate in the contemporary creative landscape. As the founder of the critically acclaimed fashion label A-COLD-WALL*, which bridges the gap between streetwear and high fashion, and the industrial design studio SR_A, Ross represents a new generation of creatively dexterous thinkers. With a background in architecture, his practice spans industrial design, fashion, and writing. Discovering his prose and poetry was a remarkable experience; each piece offers a glimpse into his way of thinking and provides insight into his creative phi-losophy. Through his writing, he further solidifies his status as a profound thinker and innovator across multiple disciplines. We were fortunate to speak to Ross on the eve of two significant events in his career: the release of his new book and the opening of his new studio in London.

h: For many, poetry is more than words; it opens doors to a deeply personal and metaphysical realm. It transcends language, inviting introspection and emotion. What does poetry mean to you?

SR: Ah! Poetry! Revelatory, timeless, and existential when sharpened. Syncopation is a literary gift that allows us to make sense of the absurd and the absolute. It’s a gift that restores the spirit, fortifies the thinking mind, and—when correctly utilised—ties us closer to one another.

If there is anything to be imparted or bequeathed across humanity, it’s the messaging that factors through poetry. 

It’s an art to encrypt shared experiences through verbiage.

If anything, it highlights that you, I, we, are not alone.

h: Large cities are an inevitable part of social and technological progress, but they’re often profoundly disruptive and difficult for the individual. How can we reconcile people and cities?

SR: They are trading posts and behave as such. The assumption of an identity tied to the virility of an economic hub should be contested. Yet, one can seek out those like-minded people who often dwell in cities to impart, exchange, and further progressive ideas. It is an essential and natural passage for each generation to define and determine a sense of self and application in society—even though ideas can travel freely and with ease through digital locations… What I’m trying to say is that we seek to focus on the quality of our interior development while megacities swell alongside us and we try not to fall into a smog-filled abyss—a timeless allegory that Great Expectations does well to articulate. Perhaps the line between identity and consumption has become too blurred, resulting in a cognitive dissonance of sorts. 

The display of an outcome, rather than the application and tangibility of the outcome itself, seems to exist mostly in megacities, which in itself is a symptom of the speed of churn required to sustain activity in such locations. As you have rightly cited, it can result in a violent misstep in which the use of time slips through a sieve. Economic entrapment can sap decades without offering individuals the means to make pursuits or concepts a tangible reality. The synchronicity of ideas that thrive on top of an economic ecosystem should be lauded, though approached with caution. Perhaps it’s best to establish more formal objectives with such behemoths that can ruthlessly take and generously give.

h: In your opinion, what distinguishes life from mere existence? Do you see a conflict between individuals and society in such a distinction?

SR: Empathy. Connection to humanity and living beings. Family, both genetic and chosen. A life is established and distinguished through collective contributions to the community, both intimate and far-reaching. Perhaps mere existence can be defined as overstimulated interest in economic gain without consideration for others; like holding a lay unrealised philosophy that assumes that principles, virtues, and values can be bought rather than expressed or cultivated. It’s less of a moral issue and more about the latency in achieving the full human experience that lives beyond the pursuit of possessions. 

h: Modern forms of communication are disrupting traditional social hierarchies. The quantity and quality of personal connections are becoming increasingly important. The ability to influence is well monetised. Do you see more risks or opportunities in this shift?

SR: There is a fine line between honesty and coercion. Perhaps the latter is being tested currently. Perhaps likability and palatability are being perceived as honesty. Perhaps there’s a reinforcement of arcane stereotypes that are being reintroduced through this behaviour, as the viewer or end consumer is prioritised ahead of the artist’s statement or the work itself. 

Polarity and magnetism will continue to equip artists with the traits required to arrest generations and captivate the mind, though siloed likability should, at a certain point, be critiqued for its immature stance and weak rhetoric. Likability can become an ailment that impairs the structure and shape of the output, whether you’re a collective, artist, or corporation.

To answer the second part of your question clearly, we have seen tangible opportunities emerging that offer a perception of equality in terms of who gets to contribute to particular disciplines—which is of great value. Although, what comes to mind is who we—the populous and fellow artists—are choosing to elect to roles of influence.

Perhaps the speed to market has eroded the artist’s time to mature or formalise perspective. If the objective is primarily reach and digital channels, one must jump from pursuit to enterprise within a matter of months or a few short years to keep momentum.

h: In the 20th century, the concept of deconstruction, transformation, and transcending the physical world emerged as significant narratives in visual art. What do you think the central themes in 21st-century art will be?

SR: Potentially, a revolt against clear aesthetics that aim to signal a particular value. Through this particular wave of aesthetic satiation and access, perhaps a return to astute, discrete, and ambiguous artistic movements will depend upon us? Much like the Light and Space movement—the antithesis of Pop Art—or the Black British Arts Movement of the ’70s and ’80s that produced a sharp counterweight to what British Art had meant.

Digestibility will be contested.

h: Change created humanity, and humanity creates the future. It is in change that we feel life and time, hope and fear. What scares you and what gives you hope?

SR: The dissolving of public libraries is of great concern. Essential texts and perspectives on humanity are slipping out of public reach. Emergency funding for low-income families and independent forms of grassroots funding do not seem to be the current trend.

I am concerned that the prioritisation of privatised resources—such as gyms, pools, and spaces for hire—has deteriorated a sense of unity and local support amongst everyday communities, though I am aware that the above is symptomatic of weakened global economies. These are more top-line concerns, factoring in how and why isolation is increasing amongst the populace, and why the exchange of ideas is moving into isolated posits rather than open forums. But I am deeply positive we are on the cusp of a sharp change. We aim to contribute to this change on a local level and continue funding through the Black British Artist Grant Programme which will be extended to broader communities.