A-Cold-Wall. Spring 2020 Menswear - London Fashion Week

(Images from the designer and the public domain. Credited to the photographer/company where applicable

Samuel Ross for A-Cold-Wall is, at the moment, the quintessential construction-wear designer. Able to bridge structural concepts, architectural inspired functionality to his clothing designs.  For his Spring 2020 presentation he invited Central Saint Martins and Architectural Association School of Architecture students  to attend his latest showing, to what was reported as a full house. Ross is less of a post modern, avant garde designer and more of a modernist proponent with some conceptual ideas portrayed.  For me, he does represent some idealisms of fashion and structured design, that, if I read a little deeper.  Is failing.  Particularly architecture, with both disciplines of design which have heralded and embraced the exuberance of aspiration.  To which, there is an over inundation of post graduates, one could argue have been sold a dream via bloated academic systems and easily available credit and loans, that in turn have sparked a magnitude of feverish idealistic temperaments  - all built on a very unstable capital inspired system.  How long can it last?  As we appear to be reaching a period of stagnation in fashion design and architecture.  Although to the credit of Ross, is his knowledge of art and design in which he has been able to assert his own concepts of styles and visual cues from the structural influences around him, which is the city of London.  

Construction is booming in London with Chinese and Russian investors attracted (dirty money and all) to the currency clearing banks of Central London, whilst they pour billions billions of pounds into the famous old city.  If there was ever a city that held a dytopian faltering, it would be the home town of Ross.  With a respectful nod to the great English science fiction writers of the 60s and 70s like JG Ballard, who envisioned the landscape of England weighed under as an overbuilt dynamic, will eventually split into its dual partition – of the Poor and Rich, South and North.  Brexit is the byproduct of discord and a replay of history.  Too many over ambitious students assumed has been healed. 

Ross has set his definition of work utility and construction attire, allowing it to flow in a more cleaner and defined athesthic as opposed to previous collections.  The cuts and styles on show for Spring 2020, are very well crafted and presented, offering a retro-futurist take on concept art forms in design.  It feels less conceptual and experimental and more akin to the relevances of promoting or representing a commercial futurist idea within the now.  With smaller independent brands such as A-Cold-Wall spearheading collaborations (Diesel Redtag) as an essential lifeblood to offset higher overheads in inflated fashion markets.  Also noted with Craig Green's x Adidas shoes as part of the runway show with his Spring 2020 collection. 

A-Cold-Wall is certainly one the more exciting and original utility/contruction street styles.  If the students were taking notes, it would be the importance of originality which Ross has excelled.