If you’ve ever wondered what happened to beauty queen Rochelle Minors after she passed off her Miss Bermuda crown last summer, then look no further.

The 24-year-old is currently in her final year of university and taking big steps towards her dream of becoming a fashion designer in the UK.

Miss Minors has been able to secure internships with notable textile designers like Zandra Rhodes, popular British brand Mother of Pearl and designer Lulu Liu, whose fashions have been featured in magazines such as Vogue, ELLE and Cosmopolitan.

While working with Ms Liu, Miss Minors had the chance to help out with preparations for London Fashion Week 2013, such as dressing the models before they went out onto the runway. She described it as a “really fun” experience and saw first-hand what it takes to be a successful designer.

Taking what she learned from those work-study programmes, Miss Minors is now looking to impress her professors with her final collection at the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester, Kent.

Her Spring/Summer collection features a lot of bright colours and light fabrics.

It was inspired by the unique colour combinations and decorative features found in windows and architecture in Bermuda and the Mediterranean. Some of the garments even have a translucent or transparent look and have different openings like a window, she said.

Miss Minors admitted she was both excited and nervous about the collection, considering there’s a lot riding on how well its received.

“We get graded and assessed on it and have to give in a portfolio of drawings from our sketchbooks,” the young designer explained. “When it comes to finding jobs as a designer those books are what you get judged on instead of the collection, so they matter a lot.

“There’s also an end of year fashion show, where we have a panel of judges who look at our work and pick the best to take their collections to the Graduate Fashion Week. That’s where all the different fashion schools in the UK put on shows for the public to see, and you compete to win $42,000 to start your own collection.”

She said it would be “a big opportunity” if she was picked to show at Graduate Fashion Week in London, taking place from May 31 to June 3.

“It would mean the world to me and would be the biggest honour ever,” she told The Royal Gazette.

“The biggest reward as a designer, representing the world or just a particular country, is seeing your body of work.”

“That’s what I am aiming for — to get my work shown at Graduate Fashion Week. It’s very competitive. There are 100 students in my class alone, yet only 20 students in total from across the UK get selected.”

Miss Minors said she has been interested in fashion since she was seven-years-old. Her mom introduced her to paper dolls and from there her creativity flourished.

“I was constantly designing clothes for the dolls, and even though I stopped for a little bit in high school, I always knew I wanted to be a fashion designer,” she said.

“I went to Bermuda College and got my Associates degree in art and design. Then I took a year off and left for London to get a diploma in fashion and design and became more serious about it from then on.”

She said her ultimate goal was to start her own fashion label called Rochelle Nicole.

She also wants to open up a design school in Bermuda that would offer classes in graphic, interior and landscaping design, as well as architecture.

“We don’t have a school that offers that and I want to give back to the community in this sense,” she said.

“I feel there’s a need for that because a lot of people have contacted me or spoken to me in the street about wanting to be a fashion designer, but say they can’t afford to leave the Island. You can learn how to sew in Bermuda, but not to the point where you can create your own designs.”

Miss Minors said she has found fashion to be a really tough industry, but believes that through determination and persistence it’s possible to have a successful career.

“It’s a bit intimidating, but I am up for the challenge,” she added.