The secrets of my success: Ozwald Boateng

Ozwald Boateng

'I know lots of influential individuals and that lack of fear is the common denominator among all of them,' said Ozwald Boateng

Ozwald Boateng, 43, was born to Ghanaian immigrants and brought up in north London. He was introduced to clothes designing by his then girlfriend while studying computing at Southwark College. At 23 he left his job in IT and began making his own colourful, classically tailored suits.

The first tailor ever to stage his own fashion show in Paris, Boateng's modern take on a stuffy industry revolutionised men's tailoring and his celebrity clients include David Bowie, Will Smith, Samuel L Jackson and Mick Jagger.

In 2007, Boateng opened his flagship store on London's Savile Row, while his ready-to-wear collections are now sold around the world. He'll close this year's London Fashion Week.

0.1 per cent is everything.

If you believe in something 100 per cent you will make it happen but if you only believe in something 99.9 per cent then it may not. My dad instilled in me that if you believe something to your core, with no essence of doubt, then you must go with it no matter what other people think. There have been many occasions in my career when I've done things that people have thought were completely insane but because I felt it in my core it made complete sense to me. That feeling gives you a confidence that some people can misinterpret as arrogance, but when you feel it you have an assurance that it's going to work. That's always been the cornerstone of everything I do in my life.

Take risks.

Every good opportunity involves taking risks, because if no one else has spotted it then it's obviously not a tried-and-tested path. The first catwalk show I did in Paris was a huge risk. I took money out of my house and designed a collection but had no intention of selling it wholesale. People couldn't understand why I'd do that, but I knew that if I made a big splash at Paris fashion week as a tailor rather than as a fashion designer it would have a revolutionary impact. I took the concept of tailoring and attached it to fashion and it simply took off. I didn't know that was going to happen but I felt intuitively that's what I had to do. The outcome of the huge risk was a huge reward. Often you can take a risk but the benefits are not immediate and you are left thinking, 'Oh God, what have I done?' When I opened my first shop there were no customers for a week. It's at that moment when you feel most vulnerable that you've got to be absolutely cool and calm and wait for it to come right.

Look for ideas everywhere.

My mind can drift and I can think about a colour or a fabric, or someone might say something that might trigger an idea, or I might see something as I'm walking up the road. My designs are also influenced by my personal emotions. When my daughter was born it had a powerful impact on me and I designed some of my best collections in that period.

Carry a notebook.

I am not a particularly organised person but I've learnt that it's really important to make a note of everything I see that inspires me so I can go back to it later. I've always found the process of creating very easy; it's the structuring and managing a business that doesn't come so naturally.

Rip up the rule book.

One of the many rules in the ultra-competitive fashion world is that a designer does not go to another designer's show. I didn't care about that and, being a big fan of Armani, I went along to his shows and now we have become good friends. You can't dispute what he's achieved in terms of men's clothes and in many ways he ripped up the rule book, too. He's 76 and as sharp as a blade - and the way he looks at every single magazine he's got a piece in is remarkable. When I started out I was very narrow in my perspective and didn't look at other designers' work, but as I've matured I've learnt the importance of appreciating other talents.

First through the door takes the bullets.

If you're a pioneer you have to deal with the criticism that entails. When you're a designer you want everyone to love what you put out there, but that's never going to happen. When I started, if there were ten reviews and one bad one I'd always focus on the bad one - but not in a negative way. I'd say, well, next time I'm going to get that person to enjoy what I created.

Surviving setbacks is all about belief.

My big setback was losing my business in 1998 and it looked like there was no possibility of me coming through it. When a crisis comes it hits you right between the eyes and can leave you in a very dark place - so pitch black you can't see anything. In that situation you have to believe that you can see a light - and then you do. You walk towards it and you're out of it. That has been the thing for me in any crisis and I'm now very confident that there will be a way through. Nowadays I don't have the fear any more. I know lots of influential individuals and that lack of fear is the common denominator among all of them.

Look after yourself.

The key to success is energy and as I've got older I've realised how important it is to have a healthy regime to maintain my energy levels. I find that going to the gym and meditating are great tools for stopping tiredness. I'm 43 and at a point now where I can't take my energy levels for granted.

Have a unique selling point.

For me it's the cut of my suits. I was very conscious of the silhouette - the shape of the jacket. If you cut a jacket with an almost hourglass shape you can create an illusion of a much slimmer form without it being restrictive on the wearer. I understood that if I wanted to cheat the proportions I could move the waist upwards and create a much better silhouette. Everyone thought you had to be tall and thin to wear my suits but that was the illusion I set out to create. I had every major designer in menswear come to my store and buy something in order to deconstruct it and see what I was up to.


Visit Ozwald Boateng's flagship store at 30 Savile Row, London W1 (020 7440 5242)