HAVING learned to sew before she could talk Hannah Thomas always knew she wanted a career in fashion.

Fast forward two decades and the 22-year-old is in the final weeks of her degree in fashion, having already secured a job with one of the world’s leading fashion brands in America.

Miss Thomas, of Lydart, near Monmouth will graduate from De Montfort University, Leicester before flying to Ohio in October to take up a two-year design post with fashion house Abercrombie & Fitch for their lingerie label.

She is one of a handful of students to study contour fashion specialising in lingerie, swimwear and corsetry on the only course in the world.

Her interest in lingerie fashion began when aged 17 she took a Saturday job as a bra-fitter at a House of Fraser store in Buckinghamshire and gained experience with major labels such as River Island and Agent Provocateur whilst sitting her A-Levels.

Her ambition has seen her fly to Hong Kong to spend a summer at Hong Kong Polytechnic working as a design assistant at a lingerie company.

Miss Thomas' last collection of six outfits were showcased at the university’s fashion show in London’s Covent Garden last week.

She said: "It’s very time-consuming and technical and involves everything from design to pattern-cutting and sewing and even a millimetre can mean the difference in size of a bra but it’s amazing to see the finished product."

One of her latest designs to impress iconic lingerie brand Charnos is The Charnos Hourglass corselette - a body contour garment which is currently being manufactured.

Miss Thomas impressed designers at Abercrombie and Fitch with a collection aimed at young women and was inspired by the countryside around her home and Welsh tartan and flew out to Ohio for a series of interviews before being offered a post.

She said: "I'm really excited, and it still hasn't sunk in, despite the fact that I was offered the job back in February."

"It’s an iconic brand. Working for a company as prestigious as Abercrombie & Fitch is a dream come true," she added.

Sarah Brennand, recruitment manager for Abercrombie & Fitch, said: "We're delighted that we're able to offer a job to a DMU graduate and we look forward to welcoming Hannah to our headquarters."