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Racing Design Ready: RIXO to Headline Qatar Goodwood Festival

23rd April 2025

RIXO named winner of fifth annual Talent in Fashion award, and will also design this year’s Markel Magnolia Cup racing silks.

  • Fashion

  • Markel Magnolia Cup

  • Horse Racing

Goodwood's Talent in Fashion Winner for 2025 - RIXO's Orlagh McCloskey and Henrietta Rix - Ph by. Silvia Olsen

Goodwood Racecourse is delighted to announce a close collaboration with RIXO at this year’s Qatar Goodwood Festival presented by Visit Qatar.

The vintage-inspired design house is the winner of this year’s Goodwood Talent in Fashion Award, in association with the British Fashion Council. The Goodwood Talent in Fashion Award is held every year with the winning designer selected by a panel of judges that includes The Duke of Richmond, Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council, Sian Westerman, Non-Executive Director, of the British Fashion Council and Lydia Slater, Editor of Harper’s Bazaar. The pieces are kept at Goodwood House and form part of the Goodwood Collection. 

The award, now in its fifth year, was created to recognise home-grown talent. This project will see RIXO design three show-stopping vintage-style gowns inspired by the textures and patterns within Goodwood House itself, perfectly fitting Qatar Goodwood Festival’s garden party style. The three pieces designed by RIXO will be revealed during the Opening Ceremony of the Qatar Goodwood Festival on Tuesday 29 July 2025 and will provide an enchanting moment during the headline horseracing fixture, which is one of the highlights of the British Flat racing season and known throughout the country for its signature summer style.

In a first, RIXO will also design this year’s jockey silks for the Markel Magnolia Cup. This is the first time that the recipient of the prestigious Talent in Fashion Award will also be creating all 12 racing silk designs for the Markel Magnolia Cup riders.

Inspired by the eclectic beauty of true vintage, co-founders Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey created RIXO in 2015, which is now hailed for its hand-painted prints and flattering silhouettes. 

The London-based duo deliver an abundance of vibrant patterns with a nostalgic nod from the twenties right through to the sixties and seventies, all while creating an instantly recognisable brand DNA with its vintage-inspired shapes, delicate outlines and playful prints.

The Markel Magnolia Cup was first run in 2011 to raise money for women-focused charities. Each year it brings together 12 women, with varying degrees of riding experience, who set aside their day jobs to commit to a vigorous training and riding regime, transforming into jockeys for the occasion, and racing at the world’s most beautiful racecourse. This year the race will raise money for the King’s Trust International’s Project Lehar. 

The Duke of Richmond said: “We are thrilled that this year’s Goodwood Talent in Fashion winner, RIXO, will also be designing the silks for the Markel Magnolia Cup. Henrietta and Orlagh are designers that have embraced vintage style with a modern elegance that fits perfectly with Goodwood’s timeless fashion. I am delighted that Henrietta and Orlagh’s one-off designs will become part of the Goodwood Collection and we are looking forward to the unveiling of their Magnolia Cup silks.”

RIXO Creative Director and Co-Founder, Orlagh, said: “We are truly honoured to be the first brand to receive the Goodwood Talent in Fashion Award and to design the Markel Magnolia Cup silks for 2025. As part of the Goodwood Talent in Fashion Award, we had the privilege of being hosted at the estate, where we found endless inspiration in its rich textile heritage. A stunning fabric discovered in the house’s grand entrance became the foundation for two of our collection’s prints, which we reimagined in two colourways. The third design was inspired by the intricate lace details seen in the amazing portraits throughout the main house. For the Markel Magnolia Cup, we stayed true to RIXO’s signature aesthetic, incorporating a mix of archival prints to create something truly special. As a female-founded brand, it is an incredible privilege to be part of such an inspiring, female-led charity event.” 

Caroline Rush CBE, British Fashion Council CEO, said: “RIXO’s founders Henrietta and Orlagh have created a British brand that has become synonymous with colour, print and modern vintage. Their dresses are often a first choice for racegoers and so it felt like the perfect moment for The Duke of Richmond and the team at Goodwood to recognise the brand with this year’s Talent in Fashion Award and also invite RIXO to design the silks for the Markel Magnolia Cup.”

  • Fashion

  • Markel Magnolia Cup

  • Horse Racing