For luxury menswear label A-COLD-WALL*, the intersection of architecture, performance, and tactical fashion always takes center stage. And for creative director Samuel Ross, that sartorial manifesto shone throughout his Autumn/Winter 2022 collection.

Titled ‘Brittle Render, Sequence Thought,’ Ross looked to the concept of emotional response and creative action as inspiration. Pointing to the importance of collaboration and thought-provoking ideation, Ross developed key aspect of his flourishing label throughout the collection: community. “This collection is the pursuit of a purist, a community of artisans, of aesthetes and thinkers, of protagonists who choose to live with wearable expressive art, those who choose to live by way of expression,” the brand said in a statement. “We have chosen to operate with two rhythms and perspectives assigned to both monikers.”

Silhouette-wise, Ross pushed forward with his refined vision of luxury streetwear, this time allowing tactical separates, manipulated basics, and eye-catching layering to take center stage. Hinting at the unrestricted, emotional human mind, cocoon-like nylon puffers merge with utilitarian notions to highlight Ross’ fascination with duality. And the designer’s background in architecture does not hurt, either. Ross’ knack for jagged tailoring and sculptural silhouettes are aggressively defined without becoming overbearing, both redefining his brutalist aesthetic while also contextualizing it for an ever-changing world.

Though the collection was shown digitally in both video and look-book form, the brand still managed to offer a thought-provoking display that challenged the importance of the fashion runway. Against the stirring melody of the video’s opera-like soundtrack, models clad in Ross’ skillful ready-to-wear sauntered in a parade-like fashion through a seemingly empty concrete warehouse.

While the collection’s video did follow the constraints of the traditional runway format, the formula-like models and spanning camera angles offered an untouched perspective that merged well with the collection’s intent. With many labels abandoning the  catwalk, ACW is updating it in a way that seems both wholly familiar and equally fresh. “Simply, we have chosen to not compromise,” the brand’s statement reads. “Runway will always embody A-COLD-WALL*.”