Marios Schwab

As a child growing up in Athens Marios Schwab harboured a desire to be a ballet dancer and an architect, but at 15 he decided on a career in fashion. Following his new goal – one which found little favour with his parents - he spent four years studying Austrian hand-sewing techniques in Saltzburg, where he was the only male pupil.

After continuing his studies at Esmod in Berlin, he found work in London at the studio of Clements Ribeiro and earned an MA at Central Saint Martins. Unlike many of the college's students he was reluctant to launch his own label, preferring to collaborate with designers such as Kim Jones.

He finally decided to go it alone, however, debuting his first solo creations in 2006. The figure-hugging dresses were an instant hit.

One of his underlying interests, as befits the son of a bra-factory engineer, is the superstructure of lingerie. This is evident in many of his designs, which feature geometric faceting or metal contouring on the bust.

Marios Schwab was awarded Best New Designer at the British Fashion Awards in 2006. In 2007 he was the winner of the Swiss Textiles Award.