Some would-be designers spend decades working in obscurity and never make it to the run way. But for Mary Katrantzou, the road to fashion notoriety has come stunningly easy and early. Mary broke onto the scene with her 2010 collection and generated even more critical praise with her show during London’s 2011 Fashion Week.

Maybe it’s genetic. Born in Athens in 1983, Mary’s mom was an interior designer and her dad was trained in textile design. Mary came to the United States to attend the Rhode Island School of Design, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in architecture. From there she went to London and studied at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, where she focused on fashion textiles instead of interior design. It didn’t take long for Mary to make an impact. While a student, she sold some of her print designs to Bill Blass, and her senior year collection earned a Harrods and L’Oreal Professional Award nomination.

The collection was inspired by trompe l’oeil, which is a technique that gives an optical illusion that a design is three dimensional. Her designer dresses in the first collection, for example, featured digital prints of oversized jewelry made of heavy materials like wood or metal. Mary also had her models wear jewelry that were designed to match the print of the dress.

Mary presented her debut ready-to-wear collection for the Winter 2008 season. Even though the collection was small–with just nine dresses–she attracted the interest of several distributors. Known initially for just her designer clothing, her latest collection also included separates that featured her signature prints.

Considered one of the industry’s brightest talents, since leaving Central Saint Martins the British Fashion Council’s Newgen fund has sponsored each of Mary’s collections. And now she has started earning a celebrity following as well, most notably Keira Knightley.