13
Ozwald Boateng x Poltrona Frau
The basis of the Ozwald Boateng
x Poltrona Frau partnership is
founded in a shared passion
for precision, artistry and craft.
Much like the fastidiously hand-
measured and hand-cut garments
Boateng produces for his legions
of dedicated clients, Poltrona
Frau's approach to artisanship is
similarly bespoke but has industry
leading capabilities in research
and development that push the
boundaries of innovation in design,
leather craftsmanship.
In conceiving the collection, Boateng
and Poltrona Frau combined their
distinct fields of artisanship and
respective cultural heritages,
ultimately devising a collection
that unites the two worlds: on one
hand, Poltrona Frau's prestigious
Made in Italy craftsmanship, and
on the other, Ozwald Boateng's
distinctive expression and British
tailoring expertise coupled with the
joyousness of African aesthetics.
With a creative approach rooted
in London's Savile Row tradition,
which houses some of the world's
most prestigious tailoring ateliers,
the British designer of Ghanaian
origins combines classic silhouettes
with bold patterns and highly
contemporary details, promoting a
style that reflects his rich cultural
heritage through a cosmopolitan
perspective.
This original approach is applied to
the new collection, which sees as
protagonists the reinterpretations
of the Chester sofa & armchair and
Vanity Fair armchair designs, as well
as new accessories within Poltrona
Frau's Beautilities category. The
`Tribal' pattern, signature print
of Boateng, is featured across
all products: it pays homage to
his Ghanaian's origins, with each
colour, pattern and design carefully
conceived to narrate a strong
spiritual story and to act as a cloak
armour for the objects' owner.
The new collection applies the
best of bespoke couture to
timeless design, paving the way
for significant manufacturing
innovations, such as the novel
use of embossing in leather
craftsmanship, experimented here
for the first time.
Inspired by the rigorous codes that
define traditional English tailoring,
the centerpiece of the collection
is a contemporary reimagining of
Poltrona Frau's iconic Chester sofa
across all three Chester offerings:
Chester, Chester One and Chester
Line. Designed in 1912, the rolled,
pleated armrests and quilted
finish were inspired by the classic
Edwardian Chesterfield sofas
Poltrona Frau's founder Renzo
Frau discovered on his voyages
to England. In Boateng's hands,
however, an entirely new dimension
is added. Known for designing with
vibrantly patterned textiles drawn
from his Ghanaian background,
Boateng and Poltrona Frau spent
over six months developing a hand-
embossed leather whose motif was
inspired by traditional Kente cloths,
brightly woven fabrics typically
worn on formal occasions. Each
Chester sofa is then hand-crafted in
Poltrona Frau's atelier in Tolentino
with the same care and attention as
one of Boateng's handmade suits.
