A-COLD-WALL* x HARVEY NICHOLS

Samuel Ross is a young-Black-British-man. He designs and makes very fresh garments. I mention his identity as it is very crucial to understanding his work, and thus appreciating it to the point of support. Support, for an artist, is probably the most heart-warming token, Again, this is necessary to mention as I speak about the "hustle" of this young black man, as he calls it. What is the stereotype of such a character? Is it not aggressive and reckless to the point of destruction? Criminality? Yeah I thought so. Now what's amazing about Samuel is that he counters such a common perception, yet does not neglect the roots of it. Man is a creator with substance and pure energy.

Via his brand A-COLD-WALL*, Samuel pays homage to the working-class environment which produced him. It is not conventionally a beautiful or appealing place, but a raw reality. ACW* uses this as a foundation to emphasise recognising your heritage, as opposed to supporting someone else's story without knowing your own. This vibrant and throbbing vision is presented subtly in ACW* pieces, which are often coloured in tastefully bland greys and beiges. Intellectually, this contrast mimics the inspiration behind the brand. The muted palette of a typical working class environment in Britain, like my own, is the basis of the mood of ACW*. The tones and textures of council flats and factories have been artfully captured in their collections, which resonates with cultured ghetto yutes like me. We can appreciate Samuel's effort as he dyes and paints and tapers his pieces manually, in ode to the working-class people, the labourers he's repping. So we will pay that £95 for his t-shirts so he can make his profit and survive for us in this industry. Such a connection between clothes and consumers keeps a company like this relevant.

The latest ACW* collection PUBLIC-FORM was exhibited in the high-end department store Harvey Nichols from 23rd-26th July 2015. It was absolutely iconic. A pop-up exhibition. On the opening night, a video was playing in silence on a small white wall, just above the clothes on a railing. As people browsed PUBLIC-FORM there, their silhouettes broke up the projection. Samuel himself edited the overlaid archive footage of white British industrial workers from back in the day, with recent recordings of ethnic models shooting the ACW* campaigns. This powerful statement asserted the presence of black people in a space where we are marginalised. It was reinforced physically by the very event that was happening.

As the video played and people socialised, the DJ Mr Wize was doing bits in his corner. I'm telling you to imagine a black guy with long locsstyled suavely wiling out to bangers with his bredrins in HARVEY NICHOLS, but it really happened fam. He brought an energy from the streets to a store where stoic customers could only wander what the hell was going on. JME, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar all booming as they escalated through this place that oozes their aura of wealth.

The clothes are hung delicately on rails in carpeted areas. There are gold signs saying don't teef or you'll get lock up and the security guards are hella stylish! Such an irregular shopping experience was opened up to what I assume is not a familiar audience to that store, due to A-COLD-WALL*. The team, including Ace Harper and Mr Wize, must be applauded for bringing high fashion and streetwear closer, just as Harvey Nichols must be commended for supporting such a movement. This collaboration suggests that the noise London's youth has been making lately is being listened to.

In February this year, Ryan Hawaii and Jai Eleven held a roadblock pop up shop then staged a flash guerrilla giveaway a week later at Selfridges - another London department store. Both events were culturally significant. They raised awareness of what adolescent anger and creativity can manifest as in this city, which got heralded by heroes as influential as the designer Virgil Abloh. A-COLD-WALL* takes this further by uniquely including the rest of Britain in this movement, which can very easily be concentrated in the capital. Surely this stems from Samuel Ross's own broad experience of Britain from South London to Leeds and more. These important moments for subculture in the UK are cumulating. There's more to come, and that should motivate you to contribute what you can to this dawning day of the creative.