Molly Goddard is inviting you to embroider her dresses

One of London’s most feted emerging designers, Molly Goddard has come a long way since graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2012. Known for her fun tulle party dresses and use of traditional techniques like crocheting, pleating and smocking, the West Londoner has shown as part of London Fashion Week for five seasons – and now she’s holding an exhibition.

Opening tomorrow at London’s NOW Gallery, which previously hosted a Phoebe English exhibition, What I Like, Molly Goddard features six brightly-coloured dresses hung from the ceiling, garments that visitors will be invited to embroider. “I just want people to doodle,” she says, “They can write their names, draw their faces and do whatever they want.”

The idea is that people come in, grab some needle and thread, and get to work. As the exhibition goes on, the dresses will be moved around and hung from different heights so that different parts of the garments get decorated. And there’s plenty of fabric to work with – each dress is seven metres long and constructed from around 400 metres of tulle.

“I did feel like it was a bit early for me to do a retrospective, so I wanted to do something that was a bit more interactive and that people could really get involved in,” she continues. “And I wanted to do something that was a bit less precious, although I do think in the end they will be very precious items. I just didn’t want to do idolised fashion pieces.”

Goddard also hopes that the show will encourage people, particularly young people, to take up embroidery and other traditional techniques. “I am a bit of granny I suppose as I like old things. I like embroidery and it’s a dying skill so it would be great if more young people could get into it.”

What I Like, Molly Goddard is on show at NOW Gallery, Greenwich Peninsula, London from November 4th-January 27th