An aspiring fashion designer has started to see her life-long dream manifest and is now working on furthering her education.

Raffine Whaley had dreamed of becoming a fashion designer since the age of eight. This dream was initially nurtured by participating in fashion shows at her mom's job at Trimminghams. The 21-year-old always kept her dream of greatness in view and drank up every opportunity to learn more. Her first influence was her mom who owned a boutique in the United States.

"When I was younger, living with my mother in the US, I always observed her and the fashions that she had in her store that's where I gained interest," Miss Whaley said. "I also had guidance when she worked at Trimminghams from Eldon Trimminghams Jr. who is an artist."

She enrolled into Bermuda College with the intentions of studying fashion design. "I had just been dabbling with sketches of fashion until I recently started to do a lot of hands on but I still do a lot of sketching," The Sandys resident said.

Miss Whaley currently has an exhibition of her clothing designs as well as her paintings on display at the college's art gallery for public view. Her line is entitled 'Raffine Monique'- "I chose my name Raffine (pronounced RAF-in-Nay) because it means refined. I want to cater to 20 to 60-year-olds providing an array of traditional and plus size clothes."

Miss Whaley will be graduating from the college in May and has already been accepted into fashion school in London.

"I really want to go further with this. I have been excepted and plan on attending American Intercontinental University in London in July," she said hoping to get and internship working with a major designer to gain experience. Heavily inspired by the recently deceased Yves Saint Lauren, Miss Whaley said she admires and is inspired by a number of other top named designers and designs such as Versace, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Ann Fountaine and Max Mara.

She said: "Although I gain inspiration from all of them, I am most inspired by Coco Chanel, as was Yves Saint Lauren, with her famous colour palate of black and white."

Although her acceptance into AIC is a go for July, Miss Whaley is now concentrating on finding funding for her education. She is in the planning stages of having a fashion auction, where she will have her creations on display to be auctioned off to the top bidder.

She said: "All of my items are for sale and the prices are negotiable, which is why an auction would be a good idea. If someone sees a design they like but it is not in their size, I would be willing to create an outfit in their size."

Included in her collection are dresses, blouses, bathing suits, hand made jewellery, paintings as well as hand-painted designed style T-shirts. Miss Whaley has also started a junior line called 'Raffy' "I want to target young ladies in my junior line ensuring they don't look too grown. My clothes say: 'Yes, I'm a young woman but I'm not trying to grow up too fast," the young designer said.

The creative student said she sometimes redesigns old clothes for friend. "I will take and old outfit and spice it up for my friends they like that."

She credits her success to the support of her parents Mary and Devoe Whaley.

Miss Whaley invites the public to come and view her exhibition at the Bermuda College Art Gallery; they will be on display until Monday evening.