Ozwald Boateng
Ozwald Boateng OBE () is an English fashion designer of Ghanaian descent, known for his trademark twist on classic British tailoring and bespoke style.
Biography
Boateng, whose parents emigrated from Ghana in the 1950s, was born in 1967 in Muswell Hill, North London.
Boateng was inspired by the immaculate suits his father wore, and received his first suit from his mother aged eight: a double-breasted in purple mohair. At fourteen, he found a summer job sewing linings into suits.
Early career
While studying computer science at Southgate College at age 16, he was introduced to cutting and designing by his girlfriend. Using his mother's old sewing machine, he started designing and selling to his fellow students, and switched to graduate in fashion and design.
Boateng helped a friend to make clothes for a fashion show, and after receiving praise for his work, sold his first collection to a menswear shop in Covent Garden. Some of his first pieces were also sold in Academy, Newburgh St. C1987 This enabled him to open his first studio in Portobello Road in 1991. In 1994, Boateng staged his first catwalk presentation during Paris Fashion Week, the first tailor to stage a catwalk show in Paris.
