Black tailor to open up on Savile Row. In December, when he was signed up as the first creative designer of Givenchy menswear, he became the initial black designer for a major French home in Paris. And when his initial menswear collection for Givenchy was unveiled in the Muse d'Art Moderne in Avenue President Wilson yesterday, it was the initial time in the history of the home that a menswear collection has been noticed on the catwalk. His designs crunched down a catwalk strewn with oneandahalf tons of anthracite chips. The assortment was sharp and advanced, merging French stylish with Boateng's slick, hip city signature. In becoming a member of Givenchy, component of the vast Louis Vuitton Met Hennessy empire, Boateng, 37, has acquired membership of the style world's most unique "club". LVMH owns, amongst other people, Christian Dior, Emilio Pucci, Kenzo and, of nike heels program, Louis Vuitton, exactly where the hip American designer Marc Jacobs reigns supreme. Yves Carcelle, the manager of Louis Vuitton, has been one of Boateng's clients for many many years and even Bernard Arnault, the formidable chairman of the LVMH group, has availed himself of the designer's tailoring. Selftaught, and endowed with incredible chutzpah and a showman's capability always to find the limelight, Boateng is his own best advertisement. At 6ft 4in, he is as lengthy and lean as a whippet and his bald head is polished like a shiny hazelnut. He and his elegant Russian wife, Gyunel as blonde and pale as he is dark are regulars on the worldwide social circuit. Boateng's celeb client checklist reads like a roll contact of Oscar nominees for replica ray bans very best actor: Daniel DayLewis, Will Smith, Joseph Fiennes, Samuel L Jackson, Russell Crowe, Wesley Snipes and Sir Anthony Hopkins. His movie credits consist of Hannibal, Lock Stock and Two Cigarette smoking Barrels and Tomorrow Never Dies, and most lately, he designed Jude Law's wardrobe for the remake of Alfie. In the songs globe, he counts everybody from Sir Mick Jagger and David Bowie to Robbie Williams, George Michael and Seal as customers. Boateng is renowned for his sharp reduce and his vibrant use of colour. His chiselled fits in charcoal or pewtergrey flash electric violet or Hare ray ban sunglasses cheap rishna orange linings. A pocket or cuff is stamped with a band of lime or scarlet. He attributes this to his heritage. Although born in Archway, north London "as grey a place as it's possible to imagine" each his parents are from Ghana and, he says, "there is one,000 years of Ashanti culture in my genes". He was given his first madetomeasure fit as a fifth birthday current it was doublebreasted, vibrant purple and arrived with a matching shirt and tie. For Givenchy, however, he has wisely turned down the quantity. Although there are some ruby deerskin blousons, shortsleeved crimson and white gingham shirts, suits and knits in a pale apple eco-friendly, and crisp, blue and white pinstripe jackets, shades of black, grey and