Slipping bra straps could be relegated to history with the invention of the StrapTrap.
The device was invented by Hilda Varley, who was shortlisted for the British Female Inventor of the Year award, and it could be in the shops by Christmas.
The StrapTrap works by creating a channel that catches the bra strap. It consists of a C-shaped piece of flexible plastic that is stitched into the shoulder seams of tops and dresses.
Ms Varley said: "Sleeveless dresses look great in magazines, but real women wear underwear and it doesn't always stay put."
Ms Varley, a mother of two, artist and part-time literacy tutor from Leytonstone, London, attributes her success to help from the university.
She said: "Staff from the Thames Gateway Technology Centre at the University of East London's Docklands campus gave me invaluable help with design, materials and manufacturing, and we have progressed the idea to the point of production within just a few weeks.
"I am a creative person and I like problem-solving. The hard bit is turning ideas into products, especially on a shoestring budget. The British Female Inventor of the Year, the TGTC at UEL and the East London Inventors Club have been brilliant."
The East London Inventors Club was launched in March as part of a national network to help inventors protect their intellectual property rights and develop their ideas into successful products.