He studied both English and Japanese pattern-cutting techniques at Leggatts Design Academy (his graduate collection was all reversible) and worked as a costume designer before launching Black Coffee in 1998.

CNN: Why African designers are finally in the fashion spotlight

Making another dress would require a trip to Italy to procure the fantastic fabric, reprinting the pattern and re-cutting the style as a one-off.

WSJ: The Fashion Piece That Got Away

They also saw a slight improvement at companies accused of accounting fraud, which they said might be attributed to a well-documented pattern of cost-cutting and asset sales at once-highflying companies that played with the books to keep their abnormal growth rates going.

FORBES: Securities Class Actions Mostly Punish Shareholders, Study Finds

First comes the idea, then the sketching, then the draping of white toile (muslin), first over a mannequin and later over a live model, and finally the cutting of samples on a pattern that translates the temporary magic of the toile into a permanent garment in the fabric and colours of the designer's choice.

ECONOMIST: Which centre takes the crown?