A fashion student at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College has reached the dizzy heights of the High Street, aged just 18.

A Fairtrade bag designed by Crystal Padmorecor, from Witney, has gone on the shelves at Top Shop's flagship store in Oxford Circus, London.

It was part of a project at the Oxpens Road-based college, which aimed to make students on a BTech National Diploma in Fashion, think more about how and where clothes and accessories are made.

Course teacher Maria Skoyles said: "About three years ago, I was talking to an accessory buyer at Top Shop and we came up with a scheme for our students to design bags.

"She said she would pick some and have them made as samples in South America on Fairtrade projects."

The first three samples selected by Top Shop were unusable, so Ms Skoyles went to Peru and Bolivia to train workers in machining and other textile skills.

Five of the best designs from the next group of students were selected by Ms Skoyles, who then presented them to Top Shop, which chose Miss Padmore's cream bag embroidered with an orchid.

The sample was of a superior quality, and Top Shop ordered 10 of the bags to go on sale in its Oxford Circus store - with the option of ordering more.

They are also on sale in Oxfam in Broad Street, Oxford, and at St Michael's Fairtrade Shop in Cornmarket Street.

Ms Skoyles said: "It went from being a bit of an idea to actually becoming a reality.

"It is fantastic for a girl of Crystal's age to get their bag design on the shelves in Top Shop."

Miss Padmore, who will start a degree in fashion at Leeds University in September, said she had been particularly affected and inspired by films the class was shown about sweatshops and child labour.

Describing the experience of presenting her design at Top Shop, she said: "I have never really done anything like that before. We were trying to sell an idea in the real world, not just for a college project.

"It was scary but exciting and it was also a really good experience."

Miss Padmore said she had been particularly impressed by the quality of the samples that came back, and said the project had taught her a great deal about the fashion industry.

She said: "I have learned you cannot just expect a designer bag to just 'work out'. You have got to think about costing, skills, where it is coming from, and where it's going.

"I am really pleased with it."