MA International Fashion Marketing graduate Hua Tong recently presented twelve looks from the second collection of her evening wear brand Belsize25 as part of London Fashion Week.
Here, Hua, who graduated from Regent’s in summer 2026, shares an insight into the inspiration behind the collection – and how the MA International Fashion Marketing prepared her for showcasing her work at London Fashion Week as a designer.
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Introducing Bagno di Diana | Diana’s Bath
The inspiration for my second collection, Bagno di Diana | Diana’s Bath, came from a building in Rome which I believe contains one of the most beautiful baths in the world – the Bagno di Diana. It was created in the 19th century but draws on ancient Pompeian imagery, such as the Four Seasons.
What captivated me was the interplay between two different periods and styles — it’s a 19th-century ‘Roman’ space where history, nature and mythology from both periods co-exist to create a fascinating dialogue between past and present.
Behind the scenes: the creative process
I wanted the collective to feel very ‘intuitive’, and the creative process was key to this. For many looks, I draped complete pieces of fabric onto a mannequin and allow them to follow the contours of the body to naturally create soft folds.
For some of the more structured pieces, I created base garments, such as tulle corsets or nude satin dresses with boning, and draped heavier embellished fabrics directly onto them. This securely positioned the fabrics while still giving me the freedom to develop the silhouettes intuitively. It also meant almost 100% fabric utilisation in some looks, significantly reducing cutting waste.
Putting classroom learning into practice
Studying on the MA International Fashion Marketing at Regent’s evolved and developed my understanding of my role as a designer.
It reinforced that, particularly in independent brands, the roles of designer, founder and brand strategist frequently overlap and that creative decisions can actively help shape brand identity, production, sustainability, and business direction – nothing exists in isolation.
This collection gave me an opportunity to put that understanding into practice. For example, the way I worked with fabric prompted me to consider sustainability as an integral part of a brand’s responsibility which should be incorporated into every stage of a project. Working directly with the fabric allowed me to create highly expressive designs while minimising waste.
Although this approach is not easily scalable for mass production, it inspired a new direction for Belsize25 through made-to-measure and bespoke pieces – showing me how challenges can become new opportunities, as well as how my role as designer connects to my role as founder, and how design decisions connect to brand strategy and development.
Presenting at London Fashion Week
I found that, in showing my second collection, I was a lot clearer about what I wanted to communicate and the story I wanted to tell, not only through the clothes but also through the collection’s concept and visual identity and how it would connect and resonate with the audience.
The MA International Fashion Marketing helped me develop this broader perspective. It taught me to think beyond the design and to consider brand positioning, consumer behaviour, storytelling and visual communication and I applied these ideas throughout this project — from developing the collection concept and identity, to thinking about how Belsize25 should be presented within the context of London Fashion Week.
This show wasn’t just the presentation of my second collection, it connected classroom learning with my own design practice and experience and was an important step in developing Belsize25 in London.
Regent’s academic Oscar Quiroz Rodriguez, who attended the show, said: ‘It was wonderful to see Hua present her work at London Fashion Week so soon after graduating from Regent’s. Her collection was beautifully executed, and it was a pleasure to see the creativity, commitment and confidence she developed during her time with us come through in her work.’