How I started in fashion: Ross Worswick, co-founder & Creative Director of The Couture Club

Ross Worswick launched The Couture Club alongside Scott Shashua in 2015, initially driven by a straightforward challenge - finding clothing that matched their personal style.

Over the past decade, the business has moved from an emerging streetwear label to established fashion brand, with distribution through retailers such as Selfridges and Flannels, alongside a continued focus on direct-to-consumer channels.

In this interview with TheIndustry.fashion, Worswick discusses the early stages of building the brand, key lessons learnt along the way, his perspective on its next phase of growth, and the figure who has influenced his approach to the industry.

Have you always had an interest in fashion? Why does it appeal to you and why did you want to work within it?

Honestly, yes - from a really young age. I was always the kid saving up birthday or pocket money to get the latest pair of shoes or the freshest jacket I could find. It wasn't just about the clothes - it was the feeling that came with them. That confidence. That sense of identity. I think fashion, at its best, does something really powerful for people.

I also had the opportunity to model for several brands early on, which gave me a real inside look at how the industry worked, the creative side, the commercial side, and how a brand communicates who it is through what it puts out. But also being put in different clothes that you wouldn't normally pick allowed me to experiment and push what I would wear normally. That experience planted a seed. It made me realise this wasn't just something I liked - it was something I wanted to be part of.

Tell us about your first job in fashion - what drew you to the role and what was that experience like?

My route wasn't the most traditional. Before TCC, I was working as a club promoter - which on the surface doesn't sound very fashion-forward, but for me it was deeply connected. Every night out was an opportunity to put a look together, to show up feeling your best. The way you presented yourself mattered in that world. Nightlife was all about image.

That experience taught me a lot about people, about energy, about what makes something feel desirable. It also meant I was operating in Manchester' s social scene at a time when streetwear and premium casualwear were really starting to collide. I could see a gap. I could see what people wanted to wear/what I liked and what wasn't being made for them yet. That's what really pulled me toward building something in fashion rather than just working within it.

So, my first and only real job in fashion has been creating The Couture Club and building it to where it is today.

What were the most valuable skills or lessons you gained from that first experience?

Fail fast and learn quicker. That's the biggest one.

In the early days you're going to get things wrong - products, decisions, timing. The temptation is to protect yourself from failure. But actually, the brands that move fastest are the ones that try things, read the feedback honestly, and pivot without ego.

I also learned that to stand out, you have to be willing to do something different. The market doesn't reward people who play it safe and just create another version. It rewards people who understand their customer better than anyone else and then have the conviction to act on that. Everything we do at TCC comes back to those two things - move with intention and don't be afraid to evolve.

What do you most enjoy about your current role?

For me, seeing a product evolve from an initial idea and conversation into a real campaign is where it truly comes to life. Then, watching the reaction once it goes live and enters the world - being worn by our community - never gets old.

There’s a moment when you see a customer wearing something we built from scratch - a piece that started as a sketch, went through sampling, photography, and a full creative campaign - and they’ve made it their own. They’ve styled it, shared it, and lived in it.

Our community is everything to us. When they connect with the product, it validates every decision that went into making it.

If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice at the very start of your career, what would it be - and why?

Keep pushing & keep being creative.

Don’t stop when it feels like nothing’s moving. There are phases in building anything where you’re putting in the work but can’t see the results yet - and this happens more than once. That phase breaks a lot of people.

My advice to my younger self would be to trust the process more and panic less, because things do click. They always click eventually if you stay consistent and keep learning.

What does the next chapter of your own career look like and how are you hoping to grow from here?

For me personally, the next chapter is an evolution of where The Couture Club is today. There’s a lot of runway ahead for us.

We’re currently scaling and redesigning our HQ, growing the team while maintaining a strong work culture, and improving and refining our product across the board. At the same time, we’re building the brand into a truly global one and expanding into a full head-to-toe offering, including footwear.

One area I’m particularly excited about is our Performance range. That’s a huge growth opportunity for us, and I’m personally invested in building it into something truly significant.

More broadly, we’re being seen on more high-profile names - celebrities, sports stars, and musicians. That level of visibility changes things. It opens doors internationally and commercially that weren’t available to us two years ago.

The next chapter is about capitalising on that momentum without losing what makes TCC what it is.

Has there been a person in fashion that you have always admired and why?

It’s going to be an obvious one - and sadly, his journey was cut short - but Virgil Abloh, for reasons that might differ from most. He was someone who managed to move from his own initial brands into one of the biggest luxury houses.

When he stepped into a high-luxury space at Louis Vuitton, he continued to design within the brand’s DNA while respecting its heritage. At the same time, he pushed it into a space of real cultural relevance.