“If you are a beginner – nothing is paid, and the level of responsibility is extremely high, it was quite challenging to get out of this loop,” Diana comments.

Diana began interning at different fashion houses after her first year at uni. She wanted to learn more, gain experience and see what working in the fashion world she was so passionate about really looks like. Quickly, she realised that she needed paid work to continue her internships, support herself in London, and fund her graduate collection.

“That period was tough. I had almost no days off, and the pressure of back-to-back unpaid internships really started to affect my mental health. I’d feel a knot in my stomach whenever I was asked to stay late; more than once, I just wanted to burst out, ‘I can’t do this anymore!”

For someone entering an industry as layered as fashion, or any creative industry for that matter, it feels like playing catch up with yourself. Every qualification you thought mattered can turn on you in a second, depending on what job you decide to pursue, yet no one will tell you the specific things you need to get it.

“One major challenge is the lack of clear criteria: candidates aren’t judged solely on experience but on the strength of their portfolios, which can be a minefield. You must tailor your portfolio for every single application to match each brand’s identity. The leap from intern to entry-level role often feels like a matter of luck.”

More than a lack of direction, you can often be deprived of a chance to even get to a place where your candidacy is considered. The lack of big names on your CV can be a deciding factor for you to move forward. As for those big names, most of them only keep opportunities open for specific universities. Sure, they might only want to recruit from places whose educators they trust to prepare future employees, but those chosen universities often have another thing in common: higher tuition prices.

When the freshly graduated and excited students finally get their dream internship, they must wake up to a sobering reality. To afford their fashion job, they must work hard outside their fashion job but somehow manage the doubled work hours to not affect their performance. The whole structure pretty much works on a ‘you’ll figure it out’ system.

“It seems unfair that many fashion houses recruit almost exclusively from the same handful of universities, leaving the rest of us at a disadvantage. And if an internship demands full-time hours, covering transport and lunch should be the minimum – better yet, it ought to be paid. After all, how else are you supposed to make ends meet?”

The two sides of Diana’s life in those first years reflect how most young interns enter the fashion world. On one side, there is an industry you know so much about, yet when you are in it, the rules change. You realise that so many things can only be mastered when you are elbows deep in garments, thinking on the move, adjusting and taking on new responsibilities as you go. It’s exhausting and crazy, but it is also exciting. When all you wanted was to be a part of this experience, even the chaos is welcomed.

“I’ve been struck by how small London fashion teams really are, often just three to five people and how chaotic and DIY the process can be. A quick scroll through a brand’s Instagram never reveals the improvisation and hand-made tweaks behind many garments,” she comments.

There is another side, though, where the colourful madness of working for a fashion brand is followed by hours on the job you are truly just in to keep yourself afloat.

It feels like travelling between dimensions. In one, you are so close to your dream you can touch it. You run your fingers through the clothes you pinned, tweaked and DIYed and feel the creative force running through you, bringing an overwhelmed smile to your face. In the other, you are alone with your dream, surrounded by people who do not know the intricacies of the industry you chose to be a part of. People who see your dream, the one that seems so close, as something silly or unattainable.

“While working in hospitality alongside my fashion internships, I quickly realised that most people have no idea what fashion design truly entails. They equate it with styling and assume we spend our days simply dressing up,” Diana adds.

Being surrounded by people who don’t really understand something that you hold so close to your heart can be alienating. The largeness of a career in fashion also carries a subtext of instability. Everyone around you not only sees your career path as something of a silly fantasy but constantly warns you about the dangerous financial position you might put yourself into. That was Diana’s everyday struggle. Working for hours at restaurant jobs, listening to people who either did not understand her or didn’t take her goals seriously.

“I don’t know many artists from working-class backgrounds; there’s little financial stability in the arts, and it feels inherently risky. My parents wanted me to become a lawyer; they don’t support my choice and haven’t taken it seriously so far, and in every conversation, they insist I’d be better off changing my career path.”

For Diana, the efforts paid off. She put everything she learned, all the long hours and sleepless nights, into her intricate designs.

“Seeing my designs come to life on the LFW runway would make all that stress feel worthwhile,” she shares.

Diana’s brand is a reflection of her life, her challenges, and her imagination. Inspired by her mother’s style and fuelled by childhood memories, Diana Perova encapsulates a perfect balance between bold patterns and soft, elegant shapes. It’s sophisticated and daring yet flirty and youthful. It evokes feelings of dreamlike power while leaving room for experimental interpretation, almost like two worlds of Diana’s life collided, bringing forth a collection that is an unapologetic dream come to life.

“I was fascinated by the duality of eccentricity and impeccable elegance in my mother’s style, as well as the complex nature of her personality. These elements became the starting point for my first collection. I also recall how, as a child, my mother would accuse the family of being overly materialistic and would make the children declutter their wardrobes, including her own. As a result, the collection became a fusion of boldness, femininity, a blend of Western and post-Soviet Eurasian influences, and a touch of madness. Raw edges and slightly distorted shapes create the image of an ‘urban crazy’ heroine – someone I see as a reflection of today’s world and the times we live in,” Diana explains.

Above all else, Diana values sustainability in her collection—because when you get a chance to finally realise your dream, you want to do it right. Working in different fashion houses around London might have taught Diana how to tackle every possible task the multifaceted job of designer can throw at you, but it also gave her perspective. It made her aware of the pseudo-sustainable masks some brands try to put on, and she was more sure than ever—when it came to her own collection, she would do better.

“Some well-known London labels purchase new fabrics or even sourcing Primark pieces and then label them as ‘deadstock’. It’s a reminder that transparency in sourcing remains a critical challenge for the industry.”

The double-sidedness of the fashion industry comes up again when talking about sustainability. There is a jarring contrast between the beautiful garments with sustainability logos and the piles of fast fashion clothing left unused.

“To me, mass production is the real enemy of sustainability,” Diana shares.

“A sourcing trip to Sheffield underscored the urgency: mountain-high piles of vintage T-shirts had sat unused for years. It was a wake-up call – we can’t keep creating more when so much already exists. Our mission must be to repurpose, reuse, deconstruct, and recycle the abundance that’s already out there.”

Brands trying to appear environmentally friendly while making little to no effort to actually change their practices is a recurring issue. Since it would require making a big change in how they source their materials and design their clothes, many brands just don’t bother. For Diana, though, honest and ethical sourcing of materials became integral to her brand. More than that, repurposing old clothes and fabrics gave her designs more unique features. Every garment has a backstory, and every piece of fabric brings something of its own.

“Working with second-hand materials taught me early on how they imbue each piece with its own distinct character. As my design practice evolved, I embraced sustainable systems integrating zero-waste pattern cutting into every collection.”

“I start by using my own production waste and then move on to deadstock fabrics. In London, there are a handful of suppliers that sell leftover fabric off-cuts and end-of-roll materials – this is where I source most of my textiles. Working with what I already have, sometimes as little as 1.5 meters of binding and 1m of fabric, poses creative challenges that I love. It forces me to think outside of the box, to solve design ‘problems’, and ultimately makes my practice more innovative.”

In Diana’s collection, every detail has something to say, whether it’s a story of sourcing the material or the echoes of memories that inspired the clothes. Her elaborate designs are playfully graceful, bringing back the kind of experimentation that inspires. More than that, her commitment to sustainability and transparency in sourcing materials brings a refreshing honesty to the brand, giving you more than enough reasons to invest in her soon-to-be-famous work.

For this talented designer, the efforts paid off. Yet, the problem at large remains. While looking at Diana’s work, it’s important to remember the challenges she faced on her way to creating her debut collection—the challenges still faced by thousands of fashion interns today. From masquerading hours of free work as paid-in-experience internships to a lack of transparency behind sourcing material, the fashion industry hides a lot of issues behind the facade of glamour.

These things are important to know. Being aware of them is the first step towards an effort to change them. Instead of investing in fast fashion or religiously following legacy brands, we can focus our eyes on the work of Diana and other young up-and-coming designers, the ones who were faced with the industry’s shortcomings and came out the other side more truthful, authentic and original.

For more designs from Diana Perova check out her Intragram – diane.perova

Diana Perova will also host a pop-up, where you can shop the latest of the brand’s intricate designs.

Pop-up date: 22 June, 2025

Pop-up address: 3 Torrens St, London EC1V 1NQ