HIS 1940s style Galaxy dress is the sensation of this year’s red carpets and he is the hot favourite to be crowned British designer of the year, but yesterday Roland Mouret came down to earth with a bump.

To the astonishment of the fashion world, the charismatic Frenchman resigned as head designer from the company that bears his name after falling out with his backers.

It is the latest twist in the extraordinary career trajectory of the butcher’s son from Lourdes who became a model before designing his first collection in a London Bridge kitchen.

M Mouret, 44, made his mark initially with skilfully draped jersey pieces that were simultaneously complex and elegantly simple, but seven years on from that first London Fashion Week he has become the darling of the A-list and a fixture on the New York catwalk schedule.

It is the £800 waist-cinched Galaxy that has propelled him to new heights.

From showbusiness royalty like Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore and Victoria Beckham to young pretenders Keira Knightley, Rosamund Pike and Sienna Miller, the Galaxy’s highly flattering hourglass silhouette has proved irresistible.

Its secret is a boned “waist restrainer” made from French power mesh, the highly elastic fabric used to reinforce 1950s underwear. As a result the dress nips in at the waist and flattens the wearer’s stomach.

A spokesman for M Mouret said: “It means that whether you are a size 6 or 14 you will look fantastic in it. We have had women calling us in tears begging for the dress, but we have totally sold out.” Desperate disappointed women have resorted to bombarding e-bay in pursuit of a Galaxy, despite the forbidding price tag.

The dress’s ubiquity recently moved Grazia, the fashion and celebrity magazine, snidely to observe that the Galaxy had made the move from Hollywood red-carpet to Des Lynam’s party, where the Countdown hostess Carol Vorderman wore a blue version, in just one month.

The company has since created a lighter version, called the Titanium (although with a heftier price tag at £950) which was recently spotted on Rachel Weisz at the start last week of the The Times bfi London Film Festival.

Sales of M Mouret’s designs are now running at £2.8 million a year but behind the scenes progress appears to have been anything but smooth. He has made no secret of his volatile relationship with his backers, Sharai and Andre Meyers, who set up Roland Mouret Design in February 2000 and wholly own the company.

In an interview with Womenswear Daily, M Mouret claimed: “It was like love at first sight when we met,” he said. “We just clicked. Then her [Sharai’s] husband encouraged her to work with me. And we’re like husband and wife, and the company is our baby.” Yesterday Mr Meyers said: “After lengthy discussions, differences of managerial opinion have resulted in this regrettable decision.”

M Mouret will continue to work as head designer for the company for the next six months and be involved with the design of the Autumn/Winter 2006 collection. No decision has been made on whether M Mouret will be replaced or if the label will continue with in-house designers.

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