Molly Goddard

Summary

Since launching her eponymous label in 2014, London-based fashion designer Molly Goddard has dressed celebrities ranging from Rihanna to Agyness Deyn. She is also one of the five nominees in the running for ‘Independent British Brand’ at British Fashion Council’s The Fashion Awards.

History

Molly Goddard grew up in Ladbroke Grove- London and trained at Central Saint Martins inspired by the work of iconic designers John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. In 2005 she took a GCSE in textiles and- after work experience at Giles Deacon’s studio- got admitted at London Art College. While BA in Fashion Design went well she left her M.A. course at Central Saint Martins a year early to put together her spring 2015 collection. She had hoped it would help her get a job and shortly she was selected to do a work placement at John Galliano in Paris and interned at Meadham Kirchhoff. Yet the launch of her eponymous fashion brand is nothing short of a fairytale: it came into being ‘accidentally’ in 2015 when she threw a fashion party for friends with designs that were an instant hit and she began taking orders right then!!

Working in the divide between between maximalism and constraint.. the fashion designer’s work with transparency- fabric manipulation- and volume is admirable and her exploration of textile art such as hand-smocking and shirring has won her a number of awards. Since its inception in 2014 the label has developed considerably.. creating womenswear using tulle, taffeta, organdy and silk, and of late, diversifying her fashion brand to include menswear and accessories. In 2020 Goddard released a line of bridal wear. Per British Vogue, ‘”It’s a big undertaking making someone’s wedding dress” says Goddard over the phone from her east London studio- an old umbrella factory that was once Wolfgang Tillmans’s UK base. “By creating 12 designs with slight room for customisation it’s a straightforward way of doing bridalwear that’s more feasible for us and for our customers…”‘

The success of her label in the United States has been attributed to pop icon Rihanna wearing her designs on red carpets since 2016. Per The Cut: “Molly Goddard is a tulle-whisperer — maybe the tulle whisperer. The London-based designer, 31, has made the fabric her signature, wrapping her muses and models (as often as not, her friends) in layers upon layers of the stuff, nearly 300 feet of it for the largest and most fantastic. What in lesser hands could feel cloying or caricatural is in Goddard’s pretty and even punk — one reason her dresses have been taken up by everyone from Rihanna to Killing Eve’s murderous Villanelle.”

In 2019 Molly Goddard was one of the designers hired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to create merchandise for the Met Gala and the museum’s Camp-themed exhibit. Molly Goddard has also won prolific awards including the British Emerging Talent Award at the 2016 Fashion Awards, Breakthrough Designer at the Harper’s Bazaar 2017 Women of the Year Awards and the 2018 BFC-Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. She was also shortlisted as an LVMH Prize finalist in 2017 and in 2019 she was awarded the BFC Fashion Trust grant. Today she has her own outlet at Dover Street Market in London and is represented in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

What is her design aesthetic? Per WWD: “Inspired by the gingham and frilly outfits her mother and grandmother made for her as a child, Goddard gets her ideas poring over old family photographs and children’s knitwear patterns, and visiting Portobello Market, Alfies Antiques and the Retro Clothing Exchange in Notting Hill Gate.” And as her fashion brand continues to grow and is stocked around the world.. at Dover Street Market- Net-a-Porter- Nordstrom and with other stockists.. Goddard remains fiercely loyal to her small team including her sister Alice and her friend- model Edie Campbell who often creates a sensation on her runways!

Vision

Molly Goddard’s brand vision is described by Vogue as “a rebellious spirit that is as feminist as it is feminine.” Now considered one of London’s most esteemed designers.. her shows are among the city’s hottest tickets and her evening gowns are loved by the global A-list set including Rihanna and Cindy Sherman.

Mission Statement

Each collection is born out of extensive, immersive research into both real and imaginary worlds. Molly Goddard perceives what a person might do, and what they might wear, and how and when they might wear it. And that immersive approach shapes her bran mission.

Key Team

Fashion designer Molly Goddard helms her eponymous fashion brand.

Products and Services

Womenswear, menswear, bridal wear and accessories.

Awards and Recognition

Molly Goddard has won prolific awards, including the British Emerging Talent Award at the 2016 Fashion Awards, Breakthrough Designer at the Harper’s Bazaar 2017 Women of the Year Awards, and the 2018 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. In 2019, she was awarded a BFC Fashion Trust grant. She is also represented in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

References

• Official website Molly Goddard
• Molly Goddard Launches Bridal Vogue
• Molly Goddard made the Princess Dress Punk The Cut
• Facebook page of Molly Goddard Facebook
• Molly Goddard’s Modern Family Elle
• Meet Molly Goddard Christie’s
• The Molly Goddard Girl Claims Her Space BoF
• Molly Goddard on Her Distinct Vision and Dedicated Following Vogue
• BFC Trust Offers Grants, Mentoring to Molly Goddard WWD
• Molly Goddard: Turning Up The Volume The Guardian
• The BFC Announces 2019’s NEWGEN Recipients Vogue
• Youtube channel of Molly Goddard Youtube
• Edie Campbell Interviews Molly Goddard British Vogue
• Designer to Watch: Molly Goddard WWD
• Molly Goddard SS24 Vogue
• Molly Goddard London Fashion Week
• Molly Goddard SS23 Vogue
• Instagram account of Molly Goddard Instagram
• Molly Goddard AW23 Vogue
• Wiki page of Molly Goddard Wikipedia