Boateng for Givenchy

British-born designer Ozwald Boateng has been appointed creative director of Givenchy menswear. He will show his first collection in June 2005.

Despite bringing in €30m (£21m) a year, 35% of Givenchy's turnover, the menswear range does not enjoy the same prominence as other high-end male lines such as Dior Homme. The appointment of Boateng, who once said a well-cut suit could "give the illusion of a six-pack", will be seen as an attempt by Givenchy to change this - and an indication that the fashion industry is concentrating on building its male customer base.

It also means that Givenchy, a French label, has a double British design team, with Welshman Julien Macdonald the creative director of the womenswear division.

Boateng and his wife Gyunel are regulars on the London party scene, but his origins are of a more prosaic kind. Born and bred in north London, he studied computing before dropping out to pursue fashion. He began making bespoke suits in 1990, and his exuberantly eye-catching clothes continue to be popular with unsubtly stylish men such as Will Smith and Robbie Williams.

Not yet 40, Boateng lives with his wife and two children in central London, and was recently named one of the 100 Great Black Britons by the Voice newspaper and the Greater London Authority.

Dylan Jones, editor of GQ, described the appointment as "fantastic", but also "very shrewd". "It is very mutually beneficial, because it will help Ozwald to move up a gear, but also bring more attention to Givenchy menswear."

However, British designers have not always had the happiest of affiliations with Givenchy, a traditional label with a penchant for appointing experimental designers. Alexander McQueen, who was womenswear creative director from 1996 to 2001, left the label in a fume of acrimony. Macdonald, who took over from McQueen in 2001, has been plagued by rumours about the company's displeasure with him. Whether Boateng receives an easier reception remains to be seen.

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