Molly Goddard wins the 2022 Goodwood Talent in Fashion Award

Molly Goddard has become the second recipient of the Goodwood Talent in Fashion Award, which celebrates the exceptional work of rising British designers.

Having studied at Central Saint Martins, Goddard quickly captured the imagination of the fashion world with her voluminous tulle confections that combine a sense of frivolity and joie de vivre with high fashion. She launched her eponymous label in 2014 and has since gained a coterie of starry fans, including Jodie Comer, Rihanna and Cindy Sherman.

Jonathan James Wilson

Last week, she followed in the footsteps of the previous year’s winner Richard Quinn and presented a trio of fresh designs during the opening ceremony of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, and these will later become part of the permanent Goodwood Collection.

Each piece was inspired by the rich artworks and interiors of Goodwood House. A crimson shirred-taffeta gown adorned with pink velvet bows took its cue from both the 18th-century clothing worn by the first Duke of Richmond and the extravagance of the house’s ballroom. Meanwhile, a gloriously bright daffodil-hued dress with hand-smocking correlates to the Yellow Drawing Room, and a stiff pink frock with a fitted bodice and a flamboyantly frilled skirt is reminiscent of a 1758 portrait of the third Duke of Richmond painted by Joshua Reynolds.

Courtesy

Goddard was selected for the prize by a panel of judges including Caroline Rush and Sian Westerman of the British Fashion Council, Bazaar’s editor-in-chief Lydia Slater and the Duke of Richmond, who noted that Goddard’s style “fits perfectly with Goodwood’s approach to fashion”.

The aim of the award is to support visionary talent while simultaneously building a collection of unique pieces that will form part of a wider legacy of modern fashion at Goodwood.

Jonathan James Wilson