"It's a bit like seeing a deer in farmland."

The Met Gala perfectly matched his outlook. "Being a theme about black culture and black cultural influence, I mean, how can you do that without Africa?" he asks.Considering the link to Ghana, Boateng explains: "When we were colonised by the Europeans or the Brits, we kept our traditional dress, but tailoring was a big part of how we dressed to look more... effectively more European.

"My father always wore tailored suits. You had to be smart at all times, that was something I was taught."As if producing outfits for 16 celebrities for fashion's premier event was not stressful enough, Boateng switched up Burna Boy's outfit less than 24 hours before the event."We did his fitting quite literally the night before the Met Gala," Boateng says, adding that everyone in the room got "really excited" when they saw the Grammy-award winning musician in the finished product.

The look - a red suit paired with a buttercup yellow shirt and eel-skin cape - was partly inspired by Burna Boy's Nigerian roots.The musician told Vogue: "As a waterside pikin [Pidgin for "child"] from the Niger Delta, the eel and fish in general are the lifeblood of my people - they symbolise survival, spirit and the flow of tradition through generations."

The Met Gala was "not unusual", Boateng says, explaining that Africa has been part of his "message" throughout his career.

Back in 1995, Boateng was the first black designer to open a shop on Savile Row, a London street famed for fine tailoring.When she retired, representatives from the county council, Priory Junior School, Longsands Academy and parents presented her with gifts during a special assembly.

Mrs Hayes was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in 2023 for her voluntary and charitable work.Malcolm and Thelma Goodger live near the road where Mrs Hayes worked and said they knew her well.

"She enjoyed the children, they enjoyed her," said Mr Goodger."She's very friendly towards them, they thanked her, they gave her presents at Christmas."