Meet Ozwald Boateng

(CBS/AP)  He's dressed Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and Mick Jagger. His clothes take center stage in movies and television, and his flagship store helped revitalize London's grand Savile Row.

But there's one more thing on British designer Ozwald Boateng's to-do list: conquer America.

Boateng's handmade men's suits - marked by slim cuts, luxurious fabrics and bold use of color - have captivated the European fashion world. Legendary French design house Givenchy named Boateng its menswear creative director in 2003. But in the United States, most greet his name with a resounding, "Who?"

2That's about to change, Boateng hopes, as he unleashes a publicity campaign that includes a partnership with Miller Genuine Draft and a starring role in his own eight-part reality series on the Sundance Channel called "House of Boateng." It debuts June 22.

"I'm all about capturing the American dream right now," says the 39-year-old.

He came into his craft by accident. Motivated by a punk-rock girlfriend at age 16, he created a few men's outfits for a fashion show she put together. Boateng found he had a knack for design and decided to stick with it. Two years later, he was lending his skills to "some of the key stores in London," he says.

By the time he was in his mid-20s, he had his own shop just steps from the famed Mecca of British tailoring, Savile Row.

3Boateng is happy to rattle off names of the stars he's dressed: Samuel L. Jackson, Keanu Reeves, Jude Law and Laurence Fishburne, who Boateng says "is like my brother." He drops other names - Jerry Bruckheimer, Drew Barrymore, Robert Redford and Sarah Jessica Parker - into casual conversation.

But he doesn't boast that he was the first black designer to head a major fashion house, or that he's entirely self-taught.

"I've done a lot of groundbreaking things, but it's not been conscious," says Boateng, looking impeccable in one of those signature trim suits as he lounges in a suite at the trendy Chateau Marmont hotel. "It's more about the willingness to try, and passion. Passion is the strong driving force."

That passionate drive led Boateng to bring splashy color to the black, gray and navy world of men's suits. He lines classic dark suits with bright chartreuse, and is a fan of coral, yellow and rich purple. "I'm clearly responsible for the gentrification of color," he says.

But that's just a bonus. His real skill, he says, lies in the cut and attention to detail. "Men who want to look good come to me," he says.

On this day, that man is pop singer Brian McKnight, who is being fitted for a custom-made purple pinstriped suit.

"The No. 1 thing has to be the fit," McKnight says, showing off the jacket's green silk lining. "That, and being on the cutting-edge of fashion. I don't think I'd wear this suit to church. This is definitely an awards-show suit."

Jamie Foxx was wearing a Boateng suit when he won his best-actor Oscar in 2004. He'll don Boateng's designs again in the upcoming movie version of "Miami Vice."

The 6-foot-4-inch Boeteng is slim and bald, and has a striking presence. But until his recent push into the American market, he was admittedly press-shy. "I didn't want my skill to be overtaken by me as a person," he says.

Not anymore. Billboards advertising "House of Boateng" line Sunset Boulevard. The designer has adopted a new self-promotional attitude, traveling from coast to coast, to Canada and back, talking up his visions of the American dream.

"We all know if you make it in America, you made it," he says. "It's really as simple as that."

That's why he aligned himself with Miller to design a limited-edition beer bottle and allowed his business struggles to become fodder for a Sundance Channel show.

Miller executives couldn't be more excited, says brand manager
Terry Haley. "Besides the great style and class that he outwardly presents, he's just a genuinely impressive, good individual," Haley says. "If you turned our brand into a person, he is what our brand aspires to be."

Boateng takes the Miller partnership as a hearty American endorsement. "If you're going to come to America and make it big, and you've been embraced by one of the most important brands here, that's got to be a significant tick in the box," he says.

The Sundance show is mutually beneficial, too. It's more powerful than placing ads in magazines or online, Boateng says.

The show has natural drama as the designer reaches for his dreams, says Laura Michalchyshyn, executive vice president of programming and marketing for the Sundance Channel. "He's not coming here to sell hoodies," she says. "It's (clothing) for discerning clients. They're very natty and sharp, but will it transfer to an American audience?"

Boateng thinks so. He says everyone appreciates serious style.

He plans to open men's stores stateside, then expand into womenswear. He also has movie-industry aspirations and directorial dreams.

"The bottom line for me," he says, "is that I'm here now and I'm about making it happen."