Six months ago Ayten Gasson finally abandoned her search for a job in the fashion industry and decided to launch her own underwear label.

The 26-year-old secured a loan from the Prince's Trust to get started and turned her flat in Seven Dials, Brighton, into a live-in workshop.

So far the Central St Martins College of Art and Design graduate has done well for herself.

Within a few months her knicker and bras were selling in Mmmm! in Brighton, La Bete Femme in London and online through www.fireflygifts.co.uk Now Ayten has designed a series of hand-printed pieces for trendy boutique Tabooboo which are being sold in Selfridges in Oxford Street.

The limited edition pieces form a collection called Lucky to mark the 100th anniversary of gambling mecca Las Vegas.

Ayten, with the help of her seamstress mother, has made 60 pieces for the collection which includes three Fifties-inspired designs called Vegas, Lucky and Charms.

She has a clear head for business and insisted her name was incorporated into the pieces to help her advance her reputation in the industry.

She said: "It has been great to get a burst of money and fantastic to see my underwear on sale in Oxford Street but I have to think about my brand.

"A lot of the time small designers make items for more established firms and their name just gets lost so I made sure my signature was stitched into the embroidery.

"It looks like things are starting to gather pace. At the moment I am making the underwear myself. In future I may have to outsource some of the process."

Ayten thought it would be easy to find a job once she had finished her four-year degree in fashion and print at one of London's most prestigious fashion colleges.

But six months after graduating in 2002 she was still struggling to find a job in the industry.

A combination of student debt and the high cost of living in London finally prompted Ayten to head to Brighton in the hope of starting her own business.

She dreamed of making and selling her own lingerie and tried for a while to start her business while holding down a shop job.

But she was unable to devote enough time or energy to the cause and decided to concentrate solely on her business. The gamble paid off when the trust agreed to fund her catalogues, which were distributed to shops and boutiques.

The organisation also contributed towards travel costs and tools and materials. Now she has a thriving business.