Making your mark in the cut-throat world of high fashion is a tough task – but one up-and-coming Suffolk designer made sure his was the name on everyone's lips after securing Daisy Lowe to model in his final degree show.

Josh Bullen, who is originally from Kessingland, near Lowestoft, has been studying men's fashion design for the past five years at the prestigious art college Central Saint Martins in London.

And he rounded off his degree in style on June 1 with a fashion display showcasing his relaxed sportswear-inspired tailoring modelled by 22-year-old catwalk star Daisy Lowe.

The former Kirkley High School pupil secured her services after being introduced to her through a friend, DJ and graphic designer Margot Bowman.

'We met outside a bar in Old Compton Street,' he said 'She showed an interest in what I was doing, and obviously I was interested in having her do it. She looked through a couple of photos and said she would like to do it. It was really cool to see her at the show.

'It was weird because, talking to her backstage, she was a really normal, nice person, so to see her on stage modelling my clothes was really odd.'

Mr Bullen, 23, kept his headline-grabbing model a secret from fellow students until the day of the show to make her appearance an even greater surprise.

In keeping with his sportswear style, Lowe and a male model represented a WAG and her footballer boyfriend on the catwalk. She was clad in almost transparent boxer shorts and a knotted sports jacket.

Budding designer Mr Bullen, who is attracting significant attention following the show, has now completed his studies. In three weeks time he will fly to Italy to start work at leading fashion house Stone Island.

He added: 'When I was doing my foundation, I always thought I would do fine art painting, and then I did a week's trial in fashion and prints and I really liked it.

'I like finding new ways of making things happen – getting to know the technology of fabrics rather than just the fashion side of it. It's a bit quirky – I like things that have a bit of humour in them.'

Mr Bullen's eye-catching designs are already turning heads. His work has been compared to the likes of designer Stella McCartney, who enlisted supermodel pals Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell to model at her graduate show in 1995.