Zandra Rhodes for Olymic 2012

Zandra Rhodes is designing the costume for a 33-foot Lady Godiva puppet, which is being built as part of the 2012 Olympic celebrations. The towering model will be unveiled in July 2012 and will travel from Coventry to the Olympic Games site, propelled by a team of cyclists.

 "It's a fabulous idea in that it will give visibility to Coventry," says Rhodes. "It's such an unusual project. Things like this don't come up every day and it'll give me the chance to do something a bit different. I'm looking forward to adding my spin to the Medieval look."

Rhodes will be working with the students of Coventry College of Art to create a corset and a sheer gown covered with embroidery and hand-painted prints. The outfit will be a first for Lady Godiva who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry. The puppet will eventually rest in the city's cathedral.

"I have judged a few student competitions in Coventry before so that's how it all came about,"  the 70-year-old designer tells us. "It's to do with boosting the nation's confidence and it's good that the Midlands won't be left out of that. It's takes away from it being an 'Us And Them' culture."

Story by Vogue