A-COLD-WALL* announced as winner of BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund

Samuel Ross, Creative Director of A-COLD-WALL* has been named as the winner of the prestigious BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund supported by Chinese online retail giant JD.COM.

Ross will receive a £150,000 cash prize and 12 months high-level mentoring to accelerate his business and growth and global reputation.

Designers on the shortlist, COTTWEILER, Edward Crutchley, Liam Hodges and WALES BONNER, participated in a mentoring programme where both industry experts and judging committee members provided guidance on topics including, strategic planning, branding, leadership, commercial retail, e-tail and wholesale and digital innovation.

The winner was revealed at a cocktail reception hosted by GQ Editor Dylan Jones, BFC CEO Caroline Rush and Dior Men artistic director Kim Jones at Annabel's in Mayfair.

Jones, who is also BFC Chair of Menswear, commented, “I would like to congratulate Samuel Ross of a A-COLD-WALL*. He demonstrated intelligent design and business acumen during the judging process that propelled him to top of the talent pool and it was a unanimous decision from the judging panel. I look forward to seeing Samuel’s business grow and become the next big international menswear brand.”

Kim Jones added: “Congratulations to Sam who I’m sure will become a huge global brand, a British home-grown talent with a global view.”

The BFC's Rush said the judging committed was "impressed with the quality of work, thought process and determination of the talented 2019 shortlist. Each designer has a bright future ahead of them. There can only be one winner and Samuel proved to be the strongest candidate with the most comprehensive business strategy and decisive plans on how to use the fund to his best advantage to propel and cement A-COLD-WALL* on the global stage.”

JD.com has committed to a two-year sponsorship of the fund in a deal that was announced in September 2018. Its President of International Business at JD Fashion and Lifestyle Kevin Jiang said: “It is an honour to support the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund. It is an incredible opportunity for an emerging designer in the UK to take that next step and set the right foundations for an international business. We look forward to working with Samuel over the next 12 months through the mentoring programme in which we plan to share our expertise on the Chinese market and assist him in expanding the brand into its next stages.”