Known as the 'peacock of Savile Row' for his use of bright colours Boateng's new position at the LVMH-owned Givenchy was described by Dylan Jones, editor of GQ magazine, as "fantastic, but also very shrewd." He said that, "it is very mutually beneficial because it will help Ozwald to move up a gear, but also bring attention to Givenchy menswear."

At present Givenchy's menswear range brings in an impressive revenue of £21 million a year, which is 35% of the company's annual income. However, the name Givenchy is more associated with women than with men whereas other 'high-end' men's lines such as Dior Homme receive a high profile. So Givenchy felt it was time to turn up the heat with a new head of menswear.

"I am delighted that Ozwald has joined Givenchy," said Marianne Tesler, CEO of Givenchy couture. "His expertise in cutting and his original talent - which fuses the best of tradition with a taste for modernity - fit perfectly with the Givenchy Homme style."

However, this happy ending could have turned out oh so differently for Boatneg if he hadn't have dropped out of college.

Born in 1967 to Ghanaian immigrants from the Asante region Boateng grew up in the slightly less exotic area of North London. Boateng found his talent for the craft of tailoring by accident whilst helping his then girlfriend to produce a fashion show. He then set about changing his life. His original choice of career lay in the world of IT, not in the confines of a design studio. The designer had already begun to study in the field of computing but he decided to drop out in order to pursue his newfound love of fashion.

So, with his fashion head firmly secured on his shoulders Boateng set off on the path to fashiondom and by 1990 had started earning a living by making bespoke suits. But his suits were no ordinary run-of-the-mill suits; Ozwald Boateng was fast becoming known for his bold use of colour as he persuaded men to find the flamboyant peacock within and swap charcoal grey and navy for canary yellow and purple.

Boateng sent shockwaves through the suiting industry but this was not in rebellion against a years old craft. What Boateng was trying to do was bring new life and a younger customer to bespoke tailoring.

"My view on what you should and shouldn't wear is quite varied," says Boateng. "You can get away with a bright coloured shirt and still look formal, provided the tie and shirt work together. The worst mistake you can make is wearing an ill-fitting suit. If you do it just looks rectangular. It's all about quality."

And quality is certainly what Boateng is all about. Not only does he design, measure, cut and make his suits; he also has a hand in the design of the fabric he uses.

"I've refined my fabric design," says Boateng, "I've designed about 95 per cent of the fabric myself. I take a traditional fabric like a bird's eye, which usually comes in grey or navy worsted and introduce colour and make it mohair so you get a two-tone effect."

It's just this kind of meticulous dedication to his work that has earned Boateng a celebrity clientele that any designer worth his salt would die for. With the likes of: Robbie Williams, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Will Smith, Billy Zane, Samuel L Jackson and Keanu Reeves on his books he can truly say he's done his fair share of PR for Savile Row.

Even the London Mayor, Ken Livingstone is an avid fan of Boateng. The pair hosted an 'unprecedented' event in London's Savile Row back in 2002. To coincide with the Queen's golden Jubilee the unique 'street party' paid homage to the tailors and designers that helped make 'the row' what it is. It also marked Boateng's move into12A Savile Row, making him the first black designer to open on the famous Street.

But a few years earlier life for the designer didn't look quite so rosy. After opening his first store off of Savile Row in Vigo Street in 1995 with the Ozwald Boateng brand things seemed to be moving along nicely.

Just a year later in 1996 the designer was crowned best male designer at the Trophes de la mode in Paris and was included in the 'Cool Britannia' list. And in 1997 his debut UK fashion show was the first to be shown during women's London Fashion Week at the Royal Horticultural Hall.

However in 1998 Boateng went bankrupt and his marriage was under strain. Life for the designer wasn't looking good, but after a battle he managed to pull himself back up to pole position, until another blow left him devastated.

In 1999 while Boateng was sleeping soundly above his studio thieves broke in and stole a mass of 68 suits, 35 shirts and several leather jackets and raincoats from his latest Autumn/Winter collection.

The collection held great personal significance to Boateng as it represented his first success since the collapse of his business and had a monetary value of more than £75,000.

At the time Boateng told reporters: "There's no getting away from the pain this has caused. I had a difficult year last year and thought this was going to be the year for me. The one way people can really upset me is to take something from me like this."

But, Boateng being Boateng he fought back and just one year later was busy making his first ready-to-wear women's range as well as being crowned top menswear designer at the British Fashion Awards.

Back on track and this time things could only get better and in October of 2002 Boateng was signed up by the clothing manufacturer Marchpole Holdings to produce a new formal and casual wear range that was to be sold in stores around the country. At the time of signing the designer Greg Tufnell, chief of Marchpole, said: "Getting Ozwald on board is evidence that the revitalised and refinanced Marchpole can really deliver."

Having secured his business on a more stable footing, Boateng has since gone from strength to strength. In May last year, via a friendship struck up with film star Laurence Fishburne, Boateng was asked to dress the entire male cast of the Matrix Reloaded for the film's premier in Cannes. "Laurence was given the choice of what designer he wanted to wear and he chose me," said Boateng. "I met him six years ago through Billy Zane and was amazed at how well we got on. I loved the first Matrix film, and that, along with the fact that Laurence is someone I have such respect for, has made working on this project a huge pleasure."

Now, as the first Savile Row name to open an American store in New York along with the specially commissioned creation of a 007 James Bond suit, Boateng has become something of an icon in the fashion world.

Not yet 40, Boateng lives in London with his wife and two children and was recently named as on of the 100 Greatest Black Britons by The Voice newspaper. So what does the man himself think of his new position at Givenchy?

"My challenge will be to reinvent the French gentleman. My inspiration will be Hubert Givenchy's style and elegance, I've been working really hard for 20 years and I think that it is my time."

Ozwald Boateng's debut collection for Givenchy will be shown in July this year.

www.ozwaldboateng.co.uk

www.givenchy.com

By Nicola Brewer

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