Samuel Ross’ Next Move: A Line ‘Engineered by Zara’

It’s been a while since shoppers have been able to get their hands on fashion designed by shape-shifting creative director Samuel Ross, the Virgil Abloh protégé who founded and then exited the pioneering British luxury streetwear label A-Cold-Wall.

That’s about to change.

After selling his stake in A-Cold-Wall to long-time partner Tomorrow Ltd in February, Ross took a step back from fashion, predominantly working on artistic projects and consulting for Apple’s headphones brand Beats, before returning to the fold with SR_A, a new high-end menswear line, which quietly launched in September with a made-to-order model.

Now, Ross has inked a multi-year partnership with Zara, joining the likes of Stefano Pilati, who launched a collaboration with the Spanish fast fashion giant last month. The deal will widen access to Ross’ vision with bi-annual menswear collections under the label “SR_A Engineered by Zara.”

The offer will feature “functional, refined garments” that reflect the “maturity” of the menswear market since Ross launched A-Cold-Wall in 2015. “I think we’ve seen a maturity from the audience from the time when there was this high focus on luxury streetwear five or so years ago,” said Ross.

A-Cold-Wall made a name for itself with a high-end streetwear offer infused with commentary on the British class system. As luxury’s fixation with streetwear soared in the late 2010s, it became a fixture at luxury retailers and issued coveted collaborations with the likes of Nike, Dr. Martens and Timberland. But as the trend cycle moved on, the once-hot brand lost heat.

The “SR_A Engineered by Zara” rollout will start early next year with “fashion installations and artistic performances across key cultural cities,” said Ross. “We’re not talking about a short-term cycle where we’re trying to push out a lot of product very quickly. This is a mature offering, which will build gradually each year and is reflective of the intelligence of our audience.”