Designer Jarrad Godman grew up in rural Australia and has been creating some form of clothing or accessories for as long as he can remember. “Whether it was for Halloween costumes or my little sister’s Barbie collection,” said Godman. In 2007, he moved to New Zealand; he studied fine arts at university before switching to a fashion degree at AUT in 2012. “I was given my start in the industry when I was offered a showroom assistant role at Ciel PR in 2011,” said Godman. “I also moved into some styling work while working at Ciel.”
Godman has since launched his label Jarrad Godman. The brand’s core values are diversity, minimal waste, originality, positivity, and humour. As a team of two, Jack Farrant looks after accounting while Godman takes care of the creative and visual aspects of the brand.
Godman’s graduate collection Angler was ordered by Children of Vision which gave the label its start in 2015. Godman added that social media has seriously changed the game. “It allows new designers to connect with an audience without having a large advertising budget or industry contacts.”
Supporting the local industry is very important to Godman. “I want our customers to know that the money they are investing in our pieces is going right back into our economy.” Making their products locally means they are able to have better control over the production process. However, it costs significantly more to manufacture garments in New Zealand. “It means we have not been able to enter the market with competitively priced products, but thankfully we have an amazing following of people who appreciate locally made garments.” Jarrad Godman has recently started working with The Pattern Table in Mount Eden.
Godman is currently looking to expand their wholesale market further in New Zealand as well as gaining some offshore stockists. The latest collection, The Garden, is based on the psychology of breaking up and features a custom print. “We spent countless hours digitally placing thousands of flowers over a large area to create a print that ensures no two garments are the same.
For more information or to become a stockist, email info@jarradgodman.com or call +64 21 258 5281.
