Timothy Godbold is one of five West Australian designers going to next month’s Melbourne Fashion Festival …

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“Ultimately? I want to be Ralph Lauren,” Godbold declares.

“I want to create a whole look in my own aesthetic. Of course I am humble enough to know I am not Ralph Lauren and to get anywhere near that level means a lot of hard work.”

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Hard work is Perth-born Godbold’s usual mode. It saw him rise through the fashion ranks from Lauren’s shop floor in Old Bond Street, London, to becoming senior designer in his flagship store on New York’s Madison Avenue.

In all, Godbold gained 16 years’ fashion experience with Lauren and a further two at another classic American label, St John, where he hit upon the marvels of knit. It’s the fall, fluidity and feminine grace of knitted jersey in sophisticated rich neutrals that forms the palette of Godbold’s debut design collection.