Ozwald Boateng
Ozwald Boateng
Ozwald Boateng OBEis an English fashion designer of Ghanaian descent, known for his trademark twist on classic British tailoring and bespoke style...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionFashion Designer
Date of Birth28 February 1967
shapes inspired something-new
I'm ready to do womenswear. You've always got to be inspired by something new - women have so much more shape and I'm about finding what to engineer around those shapes.
clothes size streets
I'm not into street clothes. Don't understand it. I don't understand those over-exaggerated jean sizes so they hang off your back... I just don't understand it.
two-friends important made
I'm doing a lot of things in Africa. I've formed a company with two friends of mine called Made In Africa and we are doing a lot of important things across the continent.
jobs years interviews
I haven't been to a job interview since I was 16 years old. When I was approached by Givenchy it was more like a courtship.
mother purple insane
I had a suit made for me when I was five. It was double-breasted, mohair and purple. My mother was very particular about clothing - it always used to have to go back into the plastic and it used to drive me insane.
tools firsts emotion
Film has always been a really good tool for me to communicate emotion about why I create a collection. I'm probably one of the first designers to make short films.
emotional people creative
Film is such a very good tool for communicating emotions, and all designers and creative people look to inspire an emotional response.
designer shops knows
Because I'm a designer, I'm quite good when I shop. I know what I'm looking for.
yesterday why-not today
When things happen - you ask yourself why today, why not tomorrow, why not yesterday? That's the most amazing thing about time.
dark color people
Anyone can wear any color. The question is about finding the right shade. There is a momentary trend to dark colors because when the financials are not that great, people go for black, navy and grey.
escaping inspired film
If you're a designer, there's got to be some films that you've seen that have inspired you creatively. There's no escaping that.
fashion real two
Tailoring was considered to be a world that was very traditional, and basically going out of fashion. Fashion designers did not have a real link with tailoring or tradition, so I fused the two worlds together.
jobs views law
You come to me and it's my job to make you look the best you can look. From an image point of view, would I prefer to dress Jude Law instead of Rolf Harris? Of course. But it's my job to make them both look great.
fashion moving two
When I started, department stores were either very fashion, or very tailored, so the two never mixed. I mixed it, and they said you're too tailored for fashion and too fashion for tailoring. So I had to move the market. So that's what I did.