A STUDENT from Harrow created bespoke charity T-shirts for high street chain Marks and Spencer.
Olivia-Ria Walsh, 20, originally of Elm Terrace, Harrow Weald, made 20 hand-printed items to be sold at the company's store in the Portsmouth, where she has just finished her second year of a fashion and textiles with enterprise degree at the town's university.
The former pupil of Hatch End High School in Headstone Lane, Harrow, and Weald Middle School in Robin Hood Drive, Harrow, said: “There weren't any restrictions and the university said 'The more fun, the better' and so we did something bold and colourful to attract Marks' younger customers.
“My design was an owl and a doll-type girl. They were hand drawings from old sketchbooks that I tidied up on a computer.”
Olivia-Ria and her friend and coursemate Phoebe Quare, 21, of Enfield – who similarly produced 20 pieces in two designs – took on the task after the retailer approached their university's career service with the idea of finding students who could create clothes to be sold for a suggested donation of £15 each to benefit Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
Olivia-Ria said: “I got the call on Friday, June 24, and we had to start printing on the Monday and deliver the T-shirts to the store on the Tuesday so we only had the weekend to come up with a design. 
“It's been a really hectic week and it was quite stressful as we were worrying because we couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
“Printing T-shirts is something I want to do as a career so it's a good to have my work in Marks and Spencer. It's quite a buzz.”
Olivia-Ria and Phoebe had already worked together for a group business project that saw them use the T-shirt printing skills they had been taught to produce children's T-shirts and ponchos that are on sale in an independent boutique in Portsmouth.
James Ash, commercial manager at Marks and Spencer's Portsmouth outlet, said: “I’ve been extremely impressed with the way they took on the job of creating something from scratch and delivering the goods within such a short timescale.
“The University of Portsmouth students have done us proud.”