Norfolk-born fashion designer forgoes the clothes in new Channel 4 show

(Photo:marieaustralia)

Since showcasing her passion for fashion on the 2012 reality show Styled to Rock, where she wowed the likes of Rihanna, Katy Perry and Cheryl Cole, former Wayland Community High School pupil, Heidi May, has had a busy few years; she’s quit her job and gone on to create her own clothing brand.

The brand, called Aesthetic Laundry, is inspired by Heidi’s past body insecurities and is intended to ignore body shape stereotypes and be both cool and comfortable, two words which accurately sum up ‘Whitney’ her first official collection. Launched this month ‘Whitney’ is a range of oversize jumpers featuring bright multi-coloured shoulder tassels to perfectly combine on-trend fashion with the guilty-pleasure comfort of tracksuit bottoms.

The range already has a number of fans including celebrities such as Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo who has described the jumpers as being “really different and cool”.

However tonight Heidi, who is originally from Thompson, will be appearing on the nation’s television screens without her stylish attire as she takes part in an unusual experiment for Life Stripped Bare, a one-off show in which six young people have all of their possessions taken away from them for 21 days. From clothes and underwear, to mobile phones and mattresses, everything is stripped and the participants are left to discover what truly matters to them, regaining one personal item each day.

The show, which Heidi refers to as a “side-project”, will see the fashion designer put her deepest and darkest insecurities to the test as she is forced to run naked through the streets of London and struggles to fit into society with nothing to her name. Speaking of her experience the 29-year-old said: “I wanted to do this experiment not only from a personal perspective but also on a professional level. I wanted to use the experience to become a better designer and design practical things that people needed. Since doing this all can say I am a better designer, and I don’t take myself too seriously.”Read more at:evening dresses