Esme Ertekin, 27, will unveil her designs during London Fashion Week in February.
"I have always wanted to have my own collection," she said from her home in Bewick Walk last week.
Her tailored women's suits and evening wear will be competing with top Italian designs by Versace and Dolce & Gabbana.
"In Italy and France the government takes fashion seriously and hands out subsidies to help companies launch themselves," she said. "But in Britain we get don't get any support."
But the former freelance design consultant, who worked in France and Italy, believes she has what it takes to make it to the top too.
"Eventually I hope to build my collection into a successful empire," she said.
Esme, a big follower of fashion, currently works for Italian designers Replay.
"Fashion helps to make people feel good about themselves," she said. "And so spending a lot of money of clothes is a form of pampering."
Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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