From Graduation To The Runway: DMU Student Makes Debut At London Fashion Week

This year’s London Fashion Week showcased designs from a De Montfort University (DMU) graduate on the runway at the Kia Oval, London.

Roshni Desai’s brand, Roshni Desai Designs, debuted its SS22 collection of environmentally friendly and adjustable lingerie. With fit at the heart of the brand, the lingerie is tailored with a signature strap that ensures bras can be changed through 4 cup sizes.

The 23 year old from Leicester studied a Contour Fashion degree, which included the creation of lingerie, swimwear and corsetry. This event marked her first show since her final year collection at Graduate Fashion Week. Initially approached by Fashion Show Live to take part in Leicester Fashion Week, Desai was given the opportunity to also take part in the hybrid London counterpart.

Desai said the experience of her first catwalk since graduation was surreal: “It has been a difficult year relying solely on people seeing my outfits online or through social media platforms so for people to actually see them in person and having a model wear them is the ultimate thing.”

The new collection from the designer is inspired by the bold colours of her religion, Hinduism, the festivals they celebrate and the happiness they radiate. Desai said: “My new collection is hand-dyed by myself at home, I wanted to involve as many bright colours as possible and decided to dye it myself.”

Rachel Toner, Programme Leader for Contour Fashion at De Montfort University, recognised the graduate’s hard work: “It is so important to have graduates showcased to the wider fashion industry in this way, and we are immensely proud of her achievements.”

Earlier this year, Desai won the Positive Planet Award at the DMU Works Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Awards and has since shown her commitment to her brand’s sustainability targets. Alongside her recyclable, reusable and 100% plastic-free brand, her multi-size bra and knicker designs allow the wearer to keep the garment even if they change sizes, reducing the amount of waste created in the fashion industry. She says: “Our bodies fluctuate in sizes and that is completely normal, this adjustability feature allows them to accommodate how they are feeling that day and also saves the customer money so they don’t have to buy new garments constantly.”

Desai said the university course gave her the confidence to set up her own business: “We were always encouraged to follow our inspiration and experiment as much as we want to create our desired effect.”

Elizabeth Burton, Fashion Design Lecturer at Birmingham City University (and DMU Contour Fashion graduate), said being a designer is much more than a CV: “It is a handwriting, a personality and a creative thought process.”

The budding start-up designer is hoping to expand her garment range and become more inclusive by offering bigger sizes.

You can shop Roshni Desai Designs on ASOS Marketplace here