I wore this suit for my first time at the Olivier awards earlier this year. My style is usually very bright – I go for either a bit of drama or sex appeal – but for the Oliviers I wanted to look classy. It was designed by Ozwald Boateng and it fitted like a glove. It was so comfortable and it felt so luxurious.

The suit was a midnight blue and a lot more classic than the ones I normally wear. Usually, I like everything to be super-tailored and tight but this had more of a straight leg. It made me feel like a different beast – like a gentleman. I wore it with a dark blue Celine tie and black Louis Vuitton loafers, and I felt as if I was doing it properly: a proper suit at a proper event. You could feel the amount of love that had gone into making it.

I thought Ozwald Boateng was a good choice for me: we are both British but of African descent and we both like colour and vibrancy, so he stood out when I was looking at what I might wear. I saw Ozwald at one of the suit fittings and felt quite starstruck. I have always been a fan of his work and was aware of his time at Givenchy. His presence and work have pushed the perception of what people of colour can achieve within the fashion industry and it was important to me to support that. He’s an iconic figure in the story of black British culture.

My mum is a fashion inspiration to me. She always goes to great lengths to get ready in the morning, from her hair to her makeup to her nails, and matching her suit with her shoes. She’s a big fan of style and coordination, but I like to take my own look a step further, past just being coordinated. Because my parents are Rwandan, there was always a lot of colour and artwork in our house and that informed my love of bright and vibrant clothes.

I think I have that love of colour in common with Eric, my character on Sex Education. That said, his look is often slightly off-kilter – the shoes will be a bit too “out there”, or the trousers will be leopardprint or something. I like to think I’m a bit more put together than him.