The Crit #25: Samuel Ross
What do designers really think about their past work? Which projects make them beam with pride, and which do they ache to redesign? The Crit, a podcast by Disegno, has the answers!
Each fortnight, Disegno’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford invites a leading designer to Kef Music Gallery to review their own work. Our guest reveals what worked best; what failed; what pushed their career to new heights; what feedback most shaped their practice; and what they feel needs to be redesigned.
At the end of each episode, to complete their crit, they’ll be asked to give themselves a grade for their career to date: fail, pass, commendation or distinction.
It’s a design-school crit, delivered every fortnight! Subscribe to the show here, or sign up wherever you get your podcasts from.
Our twenty-fifth guest on The Crit is Samuel Ross, accompanied by show host Oli Stratford.
Episode #25: Samuel Ross
Samuel Ross is an artist and designer who has worked across fashion, products, interior architecture, installations and more, creating everything from headphones to toilets for brands such as Apple and Kohler.
Ross started his career as a design assistant for Virgil Abloh, who he worked with extensively before independently founding his own luxury sportswear brand A-Cold-Wall* in 2014 and later starting his design studio SR_A. He has also exhibited paintings, sculpture and furniture at the White Cube and Friedman Benda galleries, and in 2020 he founded the Black British Artist Grants Programme, which offers funding, mentorship and industry support for emerging creatives.
During his Crit, Ross reflects on his longterm collaborations with Nike and LVMH, which he has kept fresh by continuously pushing the materiality of every project, from creating trainers whose materials are designed to degrade, to patenting new gold composites for use in luxury watches.
Listen to the episode to hear Ross discuss the challenges of working as an innovator within internal teams, the influence of architecture on his work, and creating designs that speak to a particular generation of British culture.
Show Notes: Samuel Ross
Best design: Partnership with Nike Group
Worst design: Designs where Ross’s team hasn’t managed to convince the client to adopt new processes
Most successful design: SR_A Hublot Tourbillons
Most impactful feedback: Provocative feedback from Kohler toilet
Dream design: Ethical and accessible garment production or creating public communal spaces through urban planning
This episode of The Crit was recorded at KEF Music Gallery London.
The Crit’s graphics were created by Leonhard Rothmoser.
The Crit’s music was created by Yuri Suzuki and Team Suzuki.