51Âþ»­

Lingerie designer Roshni Desai is celebrating after winning the Innovation in the Creative Industries award at last night’s Leicestershire Innovation Awards.

Roshni’s work to design lingerie for women recovering from breast cancer surgery and her sustainable design ethos impressed judges who are looking for the best and brightest ideas in the city and county.

51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) graduate Roshni was awarded her prize at last night’s awards ceremony, held at Leicester’s King Power stadium and compered by Lucy Hedges.

Roshni said: “I am really overwhelmed that I won the award for Innovation in the Creative Industries.

 “It was so nerve-wracking getting up on stage but I am really grateful for all the support I have had throughout the event and during the night on my achievement. There were some amazing businesses alongside me that were up for the same award and to have been shortlisted from the highest amount of nominations in this category to then being chosen as the winner is just amazing.”

More than 160 people attended the event, which is sponsored by Morningside Pharmaceuticals, University of Leicester and 51Âþ»­.

Winners included hydrogen energy firm Intelligent Energy, Loughborough University’s ACT Medical to treat stab wounds quickly and Foster+Freeman’s latent fingerprint technology.

Roshni’s bra collections - - are designed to be adjustable, so women can alter the cup sizes up or down. Breasts change size and shape throughout the menstrual cycle and over time, so bra sizes can change regularly.

Being able to adjust bras reduce the need for women to buy multiple sizes, cutting down on waste. Roshni hand dyes the garments using non-toxic dyes.

Included in her collection is a special bralette for women who have undergone breast cancer surgery, something close to her heart after a family member had the treatment.

Roshni is a member of The Crucible, which helps 51Âþ»­’s final year students and graduates on their business journey. She said: “The Crucible Project kickstarted a lot of my drive for my business, I had already set up my business and was selling my garments by the time I joined Crucible but the tailored 1-1 sessions I got alongside the training with industry experts and also the expertise from everyone was invaluable to me and my business in its journey.

“Many of the major events that took place with my business stemmed from being involved with Crucible and having that connection with new people. Crucible gave me the guidance that I needed to make my ideas and dreams reach that next stage of my business journey. “

Roshni is now working on a new collection later in the year and is also looking at lingerie for fuller-figured women. She said: “I am very excited for what the future holds for my business and myself. I want to be able to keep alongside my business goals in reducing the amount of waste that is produced in the industry and how we can all play a part in this.”

 

51Âþ»­ Vice-Chancellor Professor Katie Normington was one of three keynote speakers for the night. She told the audience: “The fact that these stories come from all kinds of different sectors - businesses from opera to YouTube fitness and cutting-edge hydrogen power - just shows the strength and depth of Leicestershire’s innovators.

“Every story, every product, service or business we have heard about tonight is unique. But together, they show how important it is that we create space for innovation at every level.

“Creating a culture of innovation here in Leicestershire means giving all of you here the support you need to succeed. We have to collaborate, and build that climate for change that encourages companies, innovators, funders, universities to get the best out of themselves and from each other.”