A-Cold-Wall, a renowned fashion label founded by Samuel Ross, has embarked on a new chapter under the creative direction of longtime collaborators William Slocombe and Liam Hassimi, who serve as design director and brand director, respectively.
Their debut presentation in Milan was a testament to their vision, featuring a captivating series of screens that displayed a constantly rotating montage of lookbook and show images for the latest collection. The visuals not only showcased the meticulously crafted garments, shoes, and bags but also lingered on headshots of the cast, which included iconic figures like Don Letts of Big Audio Dynamite, Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods, and the legendary drum ‘n’ bass artist Goldie.
Goldie’s involvement extended beyond his presence in the montage. Midway through the London shoot, he had inscribed the name of his pioneering record label, Metalheadz, down each leg of his double-treated denim pants. Slocombe was understandably enthralled by this unique piece and hinted at plans to find a suitable way to divest it for a worthy cause.
The collection itself drew inspiration from pirate radio culture, a theme that was evident in the jaggedly angular tape seaming that adorned the technically treated future tailoring and urban utility pieces. This design element was inspired by imagery of illicit antennae used to broadcast unlicensed radio in the pre-digital era.
Goldie’s involvement was particularly significant as his album was arguably the first to break into the UK mainstream through pirate radio stations like Kool FM, Pulse, and Rush. His casting was a strategic move by the new design team, paying homage to A-Cold-Wall’s inspiration.
The collection featured a range of innovative materials and textures, including metal-shot fabrics in weathered, cloudy tones that enveloped loosely volumized abstract tactical vests, a signature of the brand. There was also an intriguing black future-boucle in a spongy fluro-string cinched dress and jacket, made from a material derived from root protein, as explained by Slocombe.
The double brim caps and cowl-like hoods were not merely aesthetic accents but also served a practical purpose, offering protection from both face recognition software and pirate radio enforcement officers.
Overall, A-Cold-Wall 2.0’s latest collection showcased the brand’s signature dystopic minimalism with an appropriate degree of seriousness and severity, blending military and sporting influences into pieces that hinted at a future world. The acknowledgment of Johanna Parv’s influence in the credits further emphasized the brand’s commitment to innovation. With Slocombe and Hassimi at the helm, A-Cold-Wall 2.0 is poised to continue its trajectory as a leading force in the fashion industry.