Dr. Samuel Ross Speaks On Creating A 'Garment System' With SR_A Season 1, Engineered by Zara

Dr. Samuel Ross MBE, the visionary designer has long been celebrated for his ability to merge cutting-edge design with profound social commentary. In his latest collaboration with Zara, unveiled at Paris Fashion Week, Ross presents what he calls a Garment System—a concept that redefines how clothing can adapt to modern lifestyles through modularity, functionality, and aesthetic innovation.

The collection, engineered in partnership with Zara, represents a bold step in accessible high-concept fashion. Combining Ross’s signature architectural precision with Zara’s global reach, the Garment System explores themes of adaptability and purpose, creating pieces designed to work harmoniously as part of a larger ecosystem.

In this exclusive interview, Ross delves into the inspirations behind the collection, his meticulous design process, and the journey that led to the creation of this transformative vision. From his early explorations of material and structure to the collaborative efforts that brought this project to life, Ross offers a masterclass in how design can meet the demands of contemporary living while maintaining an uncompromising artistic vision.

SR: It feels so good to share what's been on my mind for the past two years. I only really believe in two lead crafts, artisan work and luxury, or for society and for humanity. That's what we're seeing here today.

Lovely, how are you feeling?

SR: I feel amazing. It feels incredible to deliver a vision that is cohesive and pure. Pure best describes the vision and perspective on the relationship we can have with clothes, which needs to be easy, just to make us feel good.

What's the creative inspiration you saw when working on this collection with Zara?

SR: To put evererything in perspective I sold A-COLD-WALL* over a year ago. It gave me this opportunity to have time to adventure. It's given me this opportunity to travel and have new revelations and to think about comfort. In time of solitude, you still wear clothes in that period, and you need to think about, how do clothes work for you between liminal spaces? And by that, I mean if you're at home lounging, if you're picking up your morning coffee, working out casually, spending time with your loved ones, peers or going to the bank. What's the right and appropriate uniform to be established for those moments of peace?

Those conditions?

SR: Yes, conditions. This is why, this is not a "collaboration" and it's not luxury, it's not fashion, its not streetwear, it's a garment system.

When walking into this space you get the feeling of solitude, calmness and unity. For that reason, I wanted to ask, what is the meaning of partnership and how should a partnership be in fasion? Especially for younger, aspiring creatives, what is a good example to set?

I think we need to dream big and perhaps since the loss of Virgil, the kinetic energy to dream big, perhaps, hasn't been as optimistic as it could be, and I hope to signal through this partnership with the largest company in Spain that all is possible. Our ideas can actually impact society, if we wish them to do so.

That is, well, the Nirvana, the ideal goal.

SR: Absolutely, but we are capable. I feel like we sometimes think we're too bespoke to be able to speak to billions of people, but we can speak to billions of people,

The main point of concern with people that are maybe afraid of dreaming so big or afraid to address all these people, is that they're afraid they're not gonna last. How you make sure the ideas you have don't vanish or decrease in quality?

SR: I think there's always an element of risk that comes into play. If you're not willing to to jump off the cliff, you'll never find the fountain of youth that enables you to keep going. It's very easy for people to crystallize, and they think that they're preserving when they're actually just turning into into cement and stone and calcify. You have to keep taking risks.

Would you say that taking on this project with Zara was a risk?

SR: I think the risk is tied to being willing to work with a public company to produce and put forward a new proposition for how we look at clothes. Perhaps it is a risk, but risks are very exciting, and I think the role of being an artist in the zeitgeist is following your intuition and taking risks. It can also be a risk if you can speak to more people and serve more people through product. It's really good topic to speak on. I feel like at times we can be at odds with price and access, and perhaps sometimes values get a bit conflicted.

With overexposure and overproduction, how do you make sure that the ideas you form are genuine and yours, instead of a sketch or blueprint of something else that stuck in your mind?

SR: It's a really interesting point. I think that with time, there's a maturity of understanding what discipline is appropriate to express certain feelings. I could argue now that I have my painting practice and my sculpture practice, and I have these two different pillars in the fashion practice between the atelier and accessory line. That came about through going through the cycle of time, and having time to really think and contemplate on how I want to exist and use each of these different categories of the arts. You need time to think. And again, the last two years I've had that time, the last fashion product I developed outside of the atelier line and accessory line was the blue Nike Tn, nearly saying that I'm not going to conform to the traditional way of showing by giving myself the time to be quite free of how I exist and work in this in this industry or in fashion as a whole.

You mentioned you took close to two years off since the last project. Partially because of the internet and the reality of our fast paced world. How do you define success for yourself as an artist?

SR: That's a really good question. I think there are two forms of success, and both are equally important, one to take the route to become a mature artist with a lifelong career. Monetary success is very important. You need to be able to provide for your loved ones, to provide a good quality of life for yourself, and that's really important that we have honest certain conversations about that, and I've been able to, fortunately, achieve that. You know, the second lever is creative success and the sense of fulfillment.

Inner fulfillment?

SR: Inner, yeah, it's not a tangible factor and I think with inner success, it's still quite instinctive and intuitive, where, if it doesn't feel right, you have to pivot, or if you feel like there's not a purpose, at least for myself, then I have to pivot, and that's almost like the purity of being an artist. You follow your instinct.

Thank you for your time, it was lovely talking to you.

SR: Those were wonderful questions. Thank you.