The Story of Ozwald Boateng: A Documentary 12 Years in the Making

Hailing from Muswell Hill in North London by way of his emigrating Ghanaian parents, Ozwald Boateng‘s fascination with fashion design began at an early age watching his teacher father travel to work in immaculate suits whilst gaining firsthand knowledge from his seamstress mother. By the age of eight he received his first suit, a purple mohair double-breasted piece and at 14 he landed his first design job sewing linings into suits. Although starting his academic career with a concentration in computing, Boateng eventually switched his studies to the art of tailoring with his first collection launching during the late ’80s. For much of the ’90s Boateng’s reputation for his contemporary approach soared to the top of the style world becoming the first tailor to stage a catwalk show in Paris, and the youngest to open shop on the famous Savile Row. With endeavor after endeavor, this past decade and more has seen the famed designer launch his own fragrance line, multiple ready-to-wear labels, as well as collaborations with storied fashion houses and Hollywood costume designers. For a closer look at his already-established career, Director Varon Bonicos filmed Boateng between 1998 and 2010 for a fly-on-the-wall feature documentary titled, A Man’s Story. In this deeply personal piece, we see the designer go through a divorce, successful yet stressful fashion shows, and a burglary at his London shop. At the same time, Bonicos catches the moment he first meets his second wife, becomes the creative director for Givenchy, and puts together a fashion show for the African Union Summit in Ghana. The 98-minute film premiered earlier this year and a teaser can be seen above.

Source: Life + Times