The Coat

About

Crafted by artists and communities from across the region.

Godiva’s coat will be a beacon coloured with golds, yellows and reds as she journeys to London through urban towns and country roads. The coat itself will be a double-breasted embellished long coat with a train reflecting the length of the Cyclopedia. The coat and train will feature designs researched and created from the Chain Makers of the Black Country, the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, Computer Gaming in Leamington Spa, Glove Making in Worcester, and the Glass Making Industries from Stourbridge and Smethwick.

Godiva’s shift and corset will be created by Zandra Rhodes. Zandra will design, with students from Coventry University, a transparent modern style medieval shift for Godiva with gold hand painted godets and trailing sleeves. Over this will be an ‘iron’ corset decorated with glass embellishments . The inner lining of the coat will document the project over two years, it will contain images and text details of the many technical languages used throughout the realisation of the project. The coat collar will feature intricate filigree work made from fine twisted wire; found buttons, beads, nuts and bolts sourced by a commissioned artist. There are a number of buttons on the front panel of the coat and these will be made out of wood or leather. Each button will have an individual design in relief. There will also be a pair of cufflinks created in glass and each cufflink will have a different design.

Meet the Creators

A team of regional textile and glass artists will create the top coat and train for Godiva showcasing the crafts and industries from the West Midlands. Led by award winning textile artist Julia O’Connell, the team includes Maggie Dunne, Rachel Grant, Adam Hussain, Debbie Squires and Julie Joannides.

International Fashion Designer Zandra Rhodes will work with students from Coventry University to create the shift for Godiva.

The Corset will be designed by Whitaker Malem famed for designing corsets for Madonna with glass embellishments by Andrew Logan, internationally renowned glass artist, designer of Dudley’s iconic millennium Pegasus statue and founder of the Alternative Miss World competition.

The pattern for Godiva’s coat and train will be created by the Coventry based Creative Hubb using the latest cutting edge technology. The company will create a pattern which equates to nearly 6 times the scale of an average human size for the 10 metre high creation.