ONLY a year after graduating a young artist from Abingdon is taking the textile design world by storm.

Aged 22, Lollie Dunbar has been asked by women’s fashion company Wallis to design a line for their spring and summer collection.

The high street store called Miss Dunbar after she won a scarf print competition run by Liberty, the World Land Trust and her university, last December.

Miss Dunbar, daughter of Bafta award winning animator Geoff Dunbar, said two of her designs were selected and sold in the Liberty scarf hall last year.

She said: “Luckily someone from Wallis saw the scarves and managed to get in contact with me.

“They asked me to go for a meeting in London last May but I wasn’t quite sure what it was about.

“When I arrived they were throwing all these exciting ideas at me. I had to say: ‘I am really sorry but I am not actually sure what I am doing here.’ “That’s when they said that they wanted me to design a print collection for them.

“I was so shocked that all I could think is ‘I haven’t even graduated yet’.”

The inspiration for her designs came from looking at the jewellery, pottery, tattoos and textiles at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.

She said: “That’s what triggered it for me. I then came up with several patterns and they chose three of them.”

Her prints have been transferred on to maxi dresses, scarves, trousers and a jacket and they have already been named as one of this seasons ‘must haves’ in You and Women’s Own magazine.

The collection will also be appearing in Cosmopolitan and Harpers Bazaar’s next month.

Design director for Wallis, Jo Collins, said that they were attracted to Miss Dunbar’s raw talent.

She said: “What we loved about Lollie was her freshness of ideas.

“It was a joy working with such a great personality and an enthusiastic creative textile designer.”

It was not the only major accolade for Miss Dunbar. In March she also won the Ideal Home Show’s wallpaper design competition.

The show, which was judged by television designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, was held at Earl’s Court.

Miss Dunbar is currently a freelance designer for the accessories company Lola Rose.

Her Wallis collection can be bought at selected stores or on the company’s website.