Born to Ghanaian parents in London, Boateng's aesthetic can be described as the colourful joyousness of African aesthetics coupled with the sober restraint of classic British tailoring. He began his career on Savile Row in the late 1980s and was credited with rejuvenating the profession of tailoring when he opened his first shop in 1995 at the age of 28, the youngest designer to have ever done so. From 2003-2006 he was creative director for menswear at Givenchy and was awarded an O.B.E by Queen Elizabeth in 2005. More recently, he has been a go-to designer for Hollywood, having designed costumes for the blockbuster films Black Panther and Oceans 13. In his work, Boateng champions what he describes as the new Africanism, a global celebration of the continent's history, culture and style.