Samuel Ross
British designer, creative director, and artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Ross MBE (born 1991) is a British fashion designer, creative director, and artist.[3][4] He is known for founding the fashion label A-COLD-WALL*, Industrial Design studio SR_A SR_A, and the Black British Artists Grants Programme.[5][6][7][8] Since founding these organisations, Ross has collaborated with companies such as Apple, Kohler, LVMH, Nike, and William Grant & Sons.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Ross's output is often characterised as "social architecture for the body", captured through abstraction, brutalism, and deconstruction.[buzzword][citation needed]
- Artist
- Creative director
- Designer
- Entrepreneur
- Honorary doctorate, University of Westminster (2021)[1]
- Member of the Order of the British Empire (2023)[2]
- Honorary Doctor of Design, De Montfort University (2025)
Dr Samuel Ross | |
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Ross in 2026 | |
| Born | May 26, 1991 Brixton, United Kingdom |
| Education | De Montfort University |
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| Website | samuel-ross |
Early life and education
Ross was born in the Brixton neighbourhood of London, United Kingdom to first generation parents of Caribbean descent.[4] Shortly after his birth, he moved to Northamptonshire, United Kingdom.[17] He attended and graduated from De Montfort University, Leicester where he received first class honours for a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and Illustration and was awarded the FSG design award in 2012.[18][19]
Career
After graduating from university, Ross worked as a graphic and product designer for various commercial and industrial companies.[17]
He went on to intern for, and was subsequently hired by, Virgil Abloh, who became Ross's mentor.[20] In 2012, Ross became Abloh's first design assistant.[21] During his time working for Abloh, Ross also designed for Kanye West's creative content company Donda and related companies.[22][23] Ross's work has been compared to the Australian designer Marc Newson's early designs (Ross readily admits "that he wants to become his generation's [Marc] Newson"),[24] as well as that of English graphic artist Peter Saville—both of whom have also become friends and admirers of Ross's work.[25]
In 2014, Ross independently founded A-COLD-WALL*, a fashion label, self-described as a "material study for social architecture."[26][27] The company was acquired by Tomorrow Ltd. in 2024.[28][29]
In 2019, Ross and his business partner Yi Ng [d] founded SR_A SR_A.[30] Ross launched SR_A (Samuel Ross & Associates) at the Hublot Prize exhibition in the Serpentine Gallery in 2019.[31] SR_A is a studio operating within the fields of artisan-driven, industrial beautification of precious garments, objects and space.[buzzword][32]
In 2020, Ross established the Black British Artists Grants Programme [d].[33] Each year the scheme offers 10 bursaries of £2,500 to selected applicants from a range of art and design disciplines.[34][35] Past recipients of the award include designer Mac Collins, designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello [d],[36] photographer Ronan Mckenzie, and architect Dominique Petit-Frère [d].[37][38] The programme has independently provided 50 artists with funding, connecting the next generation of talent to global institutions.[citation needed] The programme advisory board is composed of the following: The Kings Foundation,[39] The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A),[40] The British Fashion Council,[41] The Royal College of Art,[42] The Design Museum [43] and The University of Westminster.[44] Ross summarises the endeavour as "holistic design for change".[citation needed]
In 2022, the V&A held an exhibition titled Fashion design: Samuel Ross / A-COLD-WALL*, and in 2023, Ross exhibited his paintings and sculptures in a solo show titled Land at the White Cube gallery in London,[45][46] as well as Coarse, and exhibition of sculptural pieces that was his second solo show at the Freidman Benda [d] gallery in New York.[47] His work was also included in the exhibition Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth at Chatsworth House, and The New Transcendence at Friedman Benda Gallery, NY (both curated by Glenn Adamson).[48][49][50][51][52] Examples of Ross's work are held in the Metropolitan Museum,[53] Denver Art Museum,[54] Dallas Museum of Art,[55] Museum of Fine Arts, SCAD Museum of Art, National Museum of Scotland, as well as the Design Museum and V&A in London.[56]
Also in 2023, Ross was hired by Apple for the newly created role of "Principal Design Consultant for Beats".[57][58]
The next year, he designed a smart toilet and taps for Kohler.[59][60][61][62]
Ross was the artistic director of the 2025 London Design Biennale.[63][64][65][66] Also in 2025, he participated in Zara's 50th Anniversary collection along with a group of 50 artists and creative industry heavyweights including Pedro Almodóvar, David Chipperfield, Es Devlin, Vincent Van Duysen [nl], Norman Foster, Luca Guadagnino, Annie Leibovitz, Kate Moss, and Marc Newson.[67][68]
Design by Category
Technology
Horology
- Hublot (LVMH)[71]
Fragrance
- Acqua di Parma (LVMH)
Eyewear
- Oakley (Luxottica SRL)
Bathroom
- Kohler LLC
Footwear
- Timberland LLC
- Dr. Martens Ltd
Sportswear
- Nike LLC
- Converse LLC
Liqueur and spirits
- The Balvenie
- Absolut Vodka
Automotive and transport
- RIDECAKE — EV motorbike
Architecture (permanent structures, temporary installations, public furniture and infrastructure)
- London Fashion Week, AW19 — Runway (2019)
- Milan Fashion Week, SS20 — Runway (2020)
- Design Miami, TERMINAL 01 — Large-scale installation (2023)
- Milan Design Week,TERMINAL 02 — Large-scale installation (2024)
- Miami Design District — Permanent installation, twenty steel benches (2024)
- City of London, Sculpture in the City — Large-scale installation (2024)
- Milan Design Week, TRANSPOSITION — Large-scale installation (2025)
- Hublot Watch Manufacture, Geneva, Switzerland (Completion: 2027–2028)
Honours and awards
Ross is the recipient of the 2018 British Fashion Award for Emerging Menswear Designer,[72] the 2019 Hublot Design Prize,[73][74] Forbes 30 under 30 Europe,[75] the 2020 GQ USA Fashion Award[76] and the 2020 People of the Year British Fashion Award for his philanthropic endeavours.[77] He received an honorary doctorate from The University of Westminster in 2021.[1] Ross is a recipient of a 2021 British Fashion Award, within the category 'Leaders of Change'.[78] Ross was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to fashion.[2] In 2025, Ross was awarded an honorary doctorate by De Montfort University.[79]
- 2012 FSG design award
- 2017 British Fashion Council (BFC) Newgen Award
- 2018 British Fashion Award, Emerging Talent
- 2018 LVMH Prize (finalist)
- 2018 Andam Grand Prize (nominated)
- 2018 BFC Newgen 2018/2019
- 2019 Hublot LVMH Design Prize[74]
- 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30
- 2019 BFC GQ Fashion Fund Award
- 2019 BFC Newgen
- 2020 British Fashion Award, Person of the Year (philanthropy)
- 2020 GQ USA Fashion Award
- 2020 International Woolmark Prize 2020 (finalist)
- 2021 British Fashion Award, Leader of Change Award
- 2021 Honorary PhD (Doctor Honoris Causa) conferred by the University of Westminster[1]
- 2022 London Chamber Of Commerce, Outstanding Contribution To Fashion
- 2022 Soho House Award, Established Change-maker Award
- 2023 Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to fashion[2]
- 2024 Best Contemporary Design Object, DESIGN MIAMI.BASEL[80]
- 2025 Elle Deco International Design Award (EDIDA)[81][82]
- 2025 Elle Deco Japan – Young Design Talent Award
- 2025 Honorary Doctor of Design (Hon DDes), De Montfort University
