Shopping Centers Today

APR 2012

Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)

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RET AILING TODA Y Rowdy suits M 28 SCT / APRIL 2012 OZWALD BOATENG'S BOLD DESIGNS HAVE BEEN SHAKING UP SAVILE ROW By Bennett Voyles ANY WOULD AGREE THAT FORG- ing a successful career in clothing design involves quite enough risk. So what would possess Ozwald Boateng, whose fondness for startling patterns and bold explosions of color shook up the conservative, gray-flannel world of British menswear, to tempt fate or to tickle sleep- ing giants? What indeed: Published reports carry ru- mors that the designer's bold- est design to date is a nervy plan to expand one store in London into a global empire of as many as 100, perhaps including franchised shops. No one will discuss these POP STAR DIDDY IS ONE OF BOATENG'S HIGH- PROFILE CUSTOMERS. audacious plans for the re- cord just now, but some advocate caution. Operat- ing a single store in a single country, they say, is one thing, and running a net- work of stores across several countries is something else. Gifted and determined as Boateng might be, they in- sist, a lot can go wrong with such an ambitious expan- sion attempt. To be sure, Boateng's dis- tinctive styles, a world away from the con- ventional pinstripes and tweeds of the other shops on Savile Row, have made him a favorite of actors, pop stars and other celebrities. The 45-year-old worked his way up from modest beginnings as the son of Ghanian immigrants in north London — his father was a sharp-dressing schoolteacher, and his mother was a seamstress. A 2009 BBC documentary featured a friend from the old neighbor- hood describing how dazzlingly original Boateng's first suits appeared: "When Ozwald walked down the street, it was like pouring acid down the middle of the road. It split it apart — there was just a shard of color going shhht!" And yet, flamboyant as they can be, Boateng's styles are in another sense very firmly ensconced in the British establish- ment — perhaps somewhat like Sir Mick Jagger, a Boateng client. "He's made a reputation for being a kind of multi- cultural success story in the U.K.," said Isabel Cavill, a senior analyst at London- based consulting firm Planet Retail. Beyond being on Savile Row, where well-heeled English gents have been pur- chasing apparel since the early 1800s, Boateng has been feted in a variety of ways. In 2005 the Victoria and Albert Museum played host to a 20-year ret- rospective. Boateng is an Officer of the Order of the British Empire — an honorary rank two steps below knight. And at press time a documentary about the photogenic Boateng — whom The Independent called "the coolest man on Earth" — was set to open in British the- aters, blaring the promotional lines: Tai- lor. Icon. Superstar. But breaking into Savile Row has

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