A-COLD-WALL has a new name on the studio door. Per WWD, the London label's owner, Four Marketing, has appointed Joshua A. Bullen as the brand's first designer in residence. His first collection debuts in Paris for fall 2027.
Bullen's résumé lines up well with this brand. He spent more than a decade as head of design at Stone Island, then became menswear design director at Givenchy, then ran design and the studio at Kenzo until 2025, overseeing everything from ready-to-wear to shoes and kids. He's a 2011 Central Saint Martins menswear grad and went back to teach there as a guest tutor. Four Marketing also built Stone Island and C.P. Company, and it bought A-COLD-WALL from wholesaler Tomorrow in 2024, so this hire is a reunion of sorts.
The setup is a little unusual. It's a long-term residency rather than a creative director takeover, and Bullen will work with the existing studio team to reinterpret the codes founder Samuel Ross built. Ross is no longer involved with the brand. He's busy with SR_A plus multiyear deals with Zara and Whoop. "A Cold Wall represents to me: community, culture, lifestyle, but most importantly good design," Bullen said. Four Marketing CEO Ben Banks called it a partnership built on years of trust.
Our take: if you liked ACW for its concrete-gray, utility-heavy, slightly brutalist outerwear, the guy who ran Stone Island's design room for ten years is about as on-theme a pick as it gets. The real test is whether he keeps the brand's edge or just makes it run more smoothly. Either way, we'll be watching Paris with interest, and probably while wearing a jacket that has too many pockets.
Shop A-COLD-WALL at ONENESS.
Image: Joshua A. Bullen portrait via WWD.
Sources: WWD (Nov 4, 2026).
