Getting into the fashion world can be tricky, but for Nikita Karizma, getting a call from the X-Factor’s head stylist could have turned everything around. The London College of Fashion graduate was commissioned to create 28 Terminator harnesses for the Little Mix performance of ‘You’ve Got the Love’ on Saturday, along with Amelia Lily’s pink dress. Not only this, but those spiked shoulders worn by Little Mix that we were all lusting after on Sunday night, were Nikita’s creation as well. We spoke to the young designer about how it feels to work on one of the biggest shows on TV and what her plans are for the future.

How did you feel when the X-factor first contacted you about making pieces for the final shows?
My clothes were requested for a couple of weeks before being worked into the show, but it was head stylist Laury Smith who decided my range should be used inthe finals & gave me such love and support. It was also my first commission as a young designer which was pretty special to have from The X-Factor. What is so crazy is that a dress from my graduate range was chosen for Amelia Lily to wear for the finals, something I still can’t get over.

What was your reaction when you saw your pieces featured in THREE different performances at Wembley?
The feeling is indescribable, a moment I will never forget. I was unaware that Amelia was wearing my dress. She requested it an hour before the show started and we fitted it onto her pretty much until she walked out onto the stage. I watched it from her dressing room and it just felt unbelievable. Little Mix wearing my shoulder pieces was just mindblowing to watch on the final showdown.

We love your edgy, hardware designs. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Thank you! I am inspired by harajuku Japanese street style, the punk era, armour, superheroes and my design work flows from my heart by chanting a lot of eastern sacred mantras.

Your parents own an Asian fashion house in London and have been in the fashion industry for years. What made you decide to depart from traditional Asian clothing in your own designs?
I admire the beauty of Asian clothing and have definitely been influenced by making a woman feel confident and playing close attention to adornments. The western market appeals to me more as it is a much wider industry & one design can be sold in many more outlets, whereas the Asian industry is much more tailored to individual pieces. They have definitely influenced me to be level headed and business-minded as a young designer.

Describe your current collection in three words.
Chaos. Terminator. Riot.

Who is your favourite designer?
Marc Jacobs. I admire him for having a very interesting price and range architecture and continually keeping his brand cool.

We love the porcupine shoulder pads LittleMix wore in their final rendition of En Vogue’s What’s it Gonna Be. Which piece from your collection is your personal favourite?
I love these pieces as well. They were commissioned for the show and now I can’t wait to get them back in my hands to wear them! These are going to be the first product that I manufacture for commercial purposes & really give a female empowering edge to any outfit.

What other celebrities have you dressed and what did they wear?
I dressed the Sugababes in Asian sarees for a magazine cover shoot. It was beautiful to see a total mix of races, culture & style. The outcome is just a unique visual hybrid.

What are you hoping 2012 will have in store for you?
A few stockists, continual press & the birth of my first commercial line. I am learning a lot everyday about this industry and hoping to keep expanding my label, I feel truly blessed to be able to share with you my words so early on in my career. It feels like I just graduated from London College of Fashion just only yesterday.

You are an inspiration to other young girls who want to break into the industry. What advice would you give to them?
Put your entire heart into your work. Stay determined and never put a cap on your dreams. Find your own natural style & really go for anything you want in life. Stay business minded for sure, this industry has a vicious cycle of churning out young talent seasonally & it is important to continually grow in terms of both sales and press exposure.

Can you tell us a bit about your next collection?
My next collection is inspired by the London riots. I was very shaken up to see this instance in society and want to create this range to remind our city it is important to guide our youth in the right manner before we have a relapse. I have used armour shapes, futuristic metallic silver, smashed glass effects on acrylic and ‘attention anti riot garment’ slogans with anti riot police covered in a barcode.

Finally, what impact do you hope to have on the fashion world?
I want to design clothes that have an impact on society through spread a message behind each range. The fashion industry has such a powerful influence over celebrities and youth culture that it is important to me to make use of this platform & not just create clothes that the entire industry are churning out by the second. I want to thank you for allowing me to do so & hopefully be able to share many more fashion stories with you.

Thank you Nikita and we can’t wait to see what the future holds! To find out more visit www.nikitakarizma.com