WHOOP Announces Creative Partnership With Designer Samuel Ross for Multi-Year ‘Project Terrain’ Collaboration

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Human performance company WHOOP was a hot topic at this year’s Australian Open after umpires asked star tennis players Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner to remove their WHOOP bands, stating that they are not currently approved for use in the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments.

Shortly after the incident, the brand released an ad with the copy “Always on for the biggest moments in sports. Well, almost always.” The support has come pouring in, and many people have expressed how unfair the rule is, particularly given that there is no advantage associated with wearing the health and fitness band during gameplay. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, WHOOP’s ability to meet the moment is reflective of its innovative and forward-thinking spirit.

Of course there’s other big news for WHOOP this month too, as the brand has announced a creative partnership with acclaimed designer Samuel Ross MBE. Ross has also been named Global Creative Director for WHOOP x SR_A (the moniker of his award winning design studio) and he is set to lead a multi-year collaboration between the two brands titled “PROJECT TERRAIN.” The partnership represents the ongoing evolution of WHOOP as it shapes the future of personal health at the intersection of performance fashion and cultural design.

The first performance design collaboration under Ross’ direction for ‘PROJECT TERRAIN’ will be a bespoke capsule collection set to feature limited-edition, customized WHOOP bands. The range will also include new apparel pieces within the WHOOP Body collection, which features technical garments that enable wearing WHOOP beyond the wrist. All products will arrive in limited edition drops later this year and into 2028.

“At WHOOP, we’ve always believed that wearable technology needs to be invisible or it needs to be cool,” says Will Ahmed, Founder and CEO of WHOOP. “Working with Samuel Ross has been a true joy. He deeply understands wearable technology. Our members will feel something new and different when they wear this limited collection.”

Ross, who says he has worn WHOOP for more than five years, formed an immediate connection to the brand’s design, culture and technology. Under his design studio, SR_A, his work spans products for several brands, including Nike, Converse, Oakley, LVMH via Hublot, Acqua di Parma and Beats. He has consistently reimagined how culture, material science and form influence one another, and his transition into performance innovation with the brand represents the natural progression of an industrial designer whose work centers on precision, human movement and the evolution of contemporary aesthetics.

“WHOOP is shaping the future,” says Ross. “That’s true progress, for all. It is one of the first design and technology companies of our generation, founded within our generation, by our generation, that is defining the right relationship to health, through advanced technology. I look forward to building the future with Will and the WHOOP design teams. We have a clear, sharp vision to move global design expectations forward.”

As part of this collaboration, SR_A will join as an investor, alongside investor-partners including One Direction singer Niall Horan and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. WHOOP will also contribute to the SR_A Black British Artist Grant and host its selected recipient for an in-house design residency, enabling emerging talent to collaborate directly with WHOOP creative teams.

The first limited edition WHOOP x SR_A capsule will be available globally in the coming months at shop.whoop.com.