Ozwald Boateng reimagines Poltrona Frau classics
Savile Row tailor Ozwald Boateng was invited by Poltrona Frau to interpret its iconic designs through colour and pattern, marking the beginning of an ongoing collaboration

During London Design Festival 2023, Ozwald Boateng and Poltrona Frau unveil ‘Culture and Craft’, a collaboration defined by the Savile Row designer’s interpretations of the Italian furniture company’s classics.
A glimpse into a wider collaboration that will expand in the future, the pieces are on view at Boateng’s Savile Row showroom as well as Poltrona Frau’s Fulham Road and Harrods location, and include the ‘Chester’ sofa, a 1912 design conceived by the company's founder and inspired by Edwardian Chesterfields, and the ‘Vanity Fair’ chair, from 1984, both adorned with distinctive patterns developed by the designer.
Although the furniture acts as the centrepiece of the collaboration's debut, Boateng's interpretation of Poltrona Frau stretches far beyond these initial designs, with 'The Beautilities Collection' comprising rugs, wallpaper, cushions, scented candles and a Mancala board game, all reflecting the spirit of the designer's approach to creation.
Ozwald Boateng and Poltrona Frau: evolution from tradition
Boateng has been a Savile Row institution since he opened his shop on the street in 1995, after nearly a decade of learning from the tailors on the street. At 28, he was the youngest designer to ever open a space on the road, and instantly impressed with his interpretation of classic tailoring merged with the aesthetic and cultural codes of his Ghanaian background. Similarly, he now brings his distinctive approach to Poltrona Frau, through a collection that blends both brands’ identities.
'At Poltrona Frau, we wanted to make tradition alive in a contemporary key,' says Poltrona Frau CEO, Nicola Coropulis. 'The meeting with Ozwald was a catalyst, because he had done exactly this same exercise on traditional English formal dress, innovating it with the colours and designs of the African tradition.'
Boateng has always been known for his use of colour and his approach to fabrication. With Poltrona Frau, there was an instant connection through craft, construction and attention to detail. ‘When I visited them in Tolentino, the thing which was abundantly clear about them was the execution, the attention to detail and the craftsmanship,’ says the designer
Boateng enriched the classic furniture designs by embossing his signature ‘Tribal’ print in Frau leather. A pattern referencing traditional Kente Cloth Motifs, it becomes both a subtle decoration and a powerful aesthetic exercise once placed on the designs.
The collection merges Poltrona Frau’s longstanding expertise with handcrafting techniques and furniture construction with Boateng’s distinctive aesthetic and spirit. Subtle yet vivid in its execution, the pattern is declined in a vibrant series of shades that reflect the designer’s work, including red, yellow, purple, blue, green and black.
Although effortless in its appearance, the embossed elements were a key step forward for Poltrona Frau's manufacturing approach. 'Applying Oswald's patterns on the leather was an important technological challenge,' says Coropulis. 'In the furniture sector today, no one uses the embossing technique that we have used, he has pushed us to work on the leather in a new way.'
As a Savile Row tailor, Boateng has had extensive experience with modernising the classics. ‘I learned very early on as a designer that to take something that's very traditional, and modernise it, it’s actually quite difficult, there’s a subtlety to getting the balance of the two worlds right.’
From the start, Boateng found similarities between his approach to tailoring and construction and Poltrona Frau’s techniques. Rooted in precision, craft and innovation, the two brands found common ground and also challenged each other. ‘The process of making the furniture is very similar to my approach to tailoring, including the choice and development of materials,’ explains Boateng. ‘For me this partnership is really about tradition, and finding a new language around that tradition, the same way I did in Savile Row.'
'We both have great respect for the past, for what we define as "the intelligence of the hands",' adds Coropulis. 'We know the value of this tradition and we have practised it over the years, so we are in a position to be able to offer a credible interpretation of tradition.'
‘“Chester” is a very traditional piece of furniture, so for me, being able to take that, and interprete it through a new language around the existing frame that everyone knows, that's really what design is about,' concludes Boateng. 'Because if tradition doesn't evolve, it dies.’
The collection is on view at Poltrona Frau, 147-153 Fulham Road, Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Rd, and Ozwald Boateng, 39 Savile Row
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
Is the Audemars Piguet and Travis Scott Royal Oak the collaboration of the year?
The new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar from Audemars Piguet and Travis Scott comes in a delicious chocolate ceramic
By Thor Svaboe Published
-
Bless interprets Fendi’s world for its immersive Design Miami 2023 installation
Provocative situation design duo Bless go behind the scenes at Fendi for ‘Backfrontal’, the Italian fashion house’s presentation at Design Miami 2023 (6-10 December)
By Dal Chodha Published
-
Helen Johnson explores bodily distortion and ablution at Pilar Corrias
Helen Johnson’s ‘Opening’, at Pilar Corrias in London, unites psychological motives and physicality
By Emily Steer Published
-
‘The future is hypermobile’: portability guides Tom Dixon’s Coal office exhibitions
London Design Festival 2023: at Coal Office, Tom Dixon explores themes of hypermobility in collaboration with cutting-edge contemporary brands, mixing AI, tech and research
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Emerging stars and established makers unite in show for London Design Festival
Curated by Jan Hendzel, ‘11:11’ at Staffordshire St Gallery in Peckham, south London, features a diverse breadth of design, from ceramics and textiles to woodworking and jewellery
By Francesca Perry Published
-
At St Paul’s Cathedral, sound becomes light through an installation by Pablo Valbuena
‘Aura’ by Pablo Valbuena at St Paul’s Cathedral for London Design Festival 2023 (and until early November 2023) makes sound tangible through light
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Simone Brewster evokes a forest of cork oak trees in central London
For London Design Festival 2023, Simone Brewster presents ‘Spirit of Place’ on The Strand in collaboration with Amorim cork, intended to ‘capture the essence of the forest’
By Francesca Perry Published
-
Andu Masebo turns a red Alfa Romeo into furniture
Andu Masebo gives new life to an old Alfa Romeo, creating playful furniture, on show at the V&A South Kensington during London Design Festival (and until 15 October 2023)
By Francesca Perry Published
-
Normal Phenomena of Life is a pioneering new brand for ‘grown to order’ products
Normal Phenomena of Life, by Faber Futures and Gingko Bioworks, is the first biodesign-native lifestyle brand that aims to change how we produce and consume
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Meet the London Design Medals 2023 winners, showcasing ‘creativity and innovation that shapes our world’
The London Design Medals 2023 are awarded to engineer Hanif Kara, architect Pooja Agrawal, social enterprise POoR Collective and artist Magdalene Odundo
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Highlights from London Design Festival 2023
London Design Festival 2023 took over landmarks, showrooms and exhibition spaces across the city
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated