| Josh Goot | |
| Birth Name: | Joshua Goot |
| Birth Place: | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Occupation: | Fashion designer |
Joshua Goot (born 1980 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian fashion designer and entrepreneur. He was born in Sydney but currently lives in New York.[1] [2]
Goot was born in 1980 in Sydney, New South Wales. Goot later graduated from Moriah College in 1997[3] and began a BA in Communication (Media, Arts and Production) at the University of Technology Sydney.[4] It was there that he developed an interest in fashion design. After one year, Goot deferred his studies to travel to Europe and the Middle East.[5]
His first label, Platform, was founded in 2000 with his friend Josh Goulburn.[6] The pair split in 2002, but Goot continued with Platform, taking the printed t-shirt line into a youth-focused, street-wear collection. Platform went defunct in 2004.
In early 2005, Goot launched his label with a capsule of unisex tailored jersey essentials in grey marl and "futuristic" silver.[7] [8] In 2005, the Josh Goot debut collection won Australia’s Tiffany & Co. Designer of the Year Award at the Melbourne Fashion Festival and the Prix de Marie Claire Award for Best Up-and-Coming Designer.[9] In May 2005, Josh Goot debuted a collection and introduced an aesthetic at Australian Fashion Week.[10] [11] Josh Goot pieces appeared on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily for its "marriage between traditional tailoring and the all American T".[12]
In September 2006, Goot showed up at New York Fashion Week, presenting at the Matthew Marks Gallery.[13] [14] He moved to London in 2008, invited by the British Fashion Council to show at London Fashion Week.[15]
Following the financial crisis of 2007–2008, Goot experienced a downturn in his business and returned to Australia in 2009 to focus on his home market.[16] The collections introduced a series of "innovative technological developments in textiles" developed in Goot’s Sydney studio.[17]
In 2010, Josh Goot opened his first retail store in a converted gallery space on Glenmore Road, Paddington, an inner-city suburb of Sydney.[18] In 2011, Goot signed with Australian department store David Jones Limited, opening the Autumn/Winter 2012 launch with a tailored tuxedo suit worn by Miranda Kerr.[19] In 2012, the label moved to Oxford Street, Sydney. Working with architect Andy McDonnell, the new environment introduced audiovisual elements and a retractable roof above a multi-colour carpet that was designed by Shane Sakkeus.[20] In 2013, Goot opened in Melbourne.[21]
He has acted as an ambassador and advocate for Australian Merino Wool.[22] In 2007, Josh Goot was one of the first Australian designers to collaborate with Target Australia in the Designers For Target initiative.[23]
In 2010, Josh Goot collaborated with the Sydney Dance Company on Rafael Bonachella’s 6 Breaths, working with artist and designer Jonathan Zawada on a print-based, unisex identity for the production.[24]
Goot also emphasises silk fabrics, Australian Merino wool and bonded viscose nylons to build an investment for the modern woman.[25]
In 2013, Goot said, "What I wanted to do with the label was to create a modern, urban, Australian fashion brand. It was born out of these core ideals of modernity, modernism and a sense of sport, and I wanted it to capture an Australian point of view in a new way that hadn’t been expressed before."[26] That year, Goot spoke at the Australian Financial Review’s Bespoke Summit at the Sydney Opera House about building a luxury fashion label in Australia.[27]
In February 2015, Josh Goot entered the Voluntary Administration. Goot spoke openly of the company’s "downward spiral",[28] citing "well-documented external factors at play within the domestic industry."[29] The company emerged from Voluntary Administration and control was returned to Goot as sole director.[30] [31]