Yahoo Lifestyle Samuel Ross Debuts Multiyear Partnership With Zara in Paris
PARIS — Samuel Ross’s experiment with a bold, new fashion model that’s not dependent on wholesale manifested itself in Paris, as on Saturday night he debuted the first collection of his brand SR_A’s multiyear partnership with Zara at Grand Palais Immersif.
Presented under a gigantic, immersive projection of psychedelic landscapes in front of guests including Marta Ortega, Marisa Berenson, Honey Dijon and Luka Sabbat, the men’s capsule featured utility wear-inspired ensembles blended with sartorial details the designer learned from Savile Row tailors.
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As reported, Ross returned to fashion last September after selling his remaining stake in A-Cold-Wall to Tomorrow with the official launch of SR_A, which stands for both Samuel Ross_Atelier and Studio Research_Attire.
The atelier main line, available to a small group of customers on a made-to-order, price-on-request basis, offers relaxed-fit, wabi-sabi handmade garments produced by British and European small-scale manufacturers.
The partnership with Zara, meanwhile, enables Ross to showcase his designs in a truly democratic fashion.
Launching online on Feb. 6, items from the Zara capsule are price-capped at 250 pounds.
A pop-up dedicated to the collaboration will run from Feb. 5 to 9 in New York’s SoHo. Zara flagships in Paris, Milan and Madrid will carry the collection as well. Upcoming collections will travel to Asia, too, Ross confirmed.
Ross said the must-haves include a half-zip track jacket, a fishtail parka, and the vegetable-tanned leather runner in a deconstructed silhouette. “It has beautiful, blind debossing throughout. It’s very refined and discreet, and the leather has been aged perfectly,” he added.
The designer revealed that the collaboration was the result of old-school cold pitching. He jumped on a plane with samples to Spain and offered the Zara team what he called “a proposition of the future.”
“I want to produce clothing solutions for modernity and society. This is a garment system that shares functional garments that live between the liminal spaces of day-to-day living. This is what you wear when you go for a coffee, when you go for a light jog, or when you lounge with family,” Ross added.
The Zara team gladly accepted Ross’ proposal, and soon formed a joint venture that at this stage will last four seasons. The line will retain the SR_A moniker but is positioned as a democratic and accessible collection engineered by Zara.
Yi Ng, Ross’ longtime business partner and chief executive officer of SR_A, said the Zara partnership represents “where we see the future of what a new form of partnerships between designers and entities look like.”
“We just don’t believe in the middle, both in terms of product and a model for independent businesses. We see the future for independent creatives to work with the incumbents on new forms of joint intellectual ownership,” she added.
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