JOINING the Hublot family is one of fashion’s wunderkinds. Globally recognised as one of the UK’s greatest talents in fashion, Samuel Ross has joined Swiss luxury watch giant Hublot as their new ambassador.
At just 29-years-old, the designer won the 2019 Hublot Design Prize, founded the luxury streetwear brand A-COLD-WALL* and now been asked to design a watch to encapsulate the forty year history of Hublot into one minimalistic watch.
Samuel Ross for Hublot
Ross began his career after being discovered by Virgil Abloh at the age of 21 who invited him to join his own brand Off-White as well as Kanye West’s company DONDA. Four years on from this endeavours and Ross founded his own menswear line, better known as A-COLD-WALL* – he received numerous accolades, but more importantly the attention from the fashion industry as one-to-watch.
Samuel Ross for Hublot
Ross speaks on his new partnership,“Hublot symbolises daring innovation, the fusion of time between tradition and innovation, and the endless capacity to invent and reinvent materials. Our collaboration reflects how we create and make decisions: quickly, efficiently and precisely. My sculpture tells the story of Hublot using simple, clean lines, with a monochrome palette of hues, a touch of vivid colour, and a play on oversized dimensions.”
Hublot watch designed by Samuel Ross
Not only marking the collaboration between the two but also Hublot’s 40th anniversary, the watch combines granite with steel, a metaphor for the fusion of man with earth. Juxtaposing and balancing the organic with the industrial with this watch symbolises Ross’ known way to innovate in fashion.
The watch’s face was chosen to be an inclined polygon to give the impression that our view of the object is deformed – quite literally distorting time. Designed with holes in the aluminium structure, which is finished using mirror polish with computer numerical control and two mobile aluminium rods that move into of the indents, this watch is everything and more.
Samuel Ross for Hublot
“His creative approach is both aesthetic and functional, his design purposeful. He creates simple and striking objects.” says CEO Ricardo Guadalupe, “We share the same attraction to materials, technique and innovation. As is the case for all of the brand’s friends and ambassadors, Samuel helps us define Hublot from a different angle. While the expression changes, the spirit behind it does not.”
by Imogen Clark