THE Bournemouth founder of fashion company Criminal Clothing has died at 32 from an inherited cancer that blights his family.

Reza Dehghani Wright was renowned for his positive outlook but could not beat the disorder that killed his mum at 31 and sister at 19.

He built up a business from his Bournemouth bedroom until turnover topped £10 million and it supplied 1,700 retailers worldwide.

"He was an incredible man," said Nicola Sutherland,Criminal's former human resources manager. "He had everything going for him."

Reza's family carries a faulty gene, a condition known as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which sparks aggressive cancers at a young age.

Brother Moh, 36, from Lymington who does not have the faulty gene, said: "My grandmother, my mother's sister, my own sister, my own brother - not a single one lived through their 30s.

"No family should be suffering so much loss."

After Reza's sister Yeganeh died at 19, he went on to found Criminal with former business partner Wayne Collins in 1999.

The first office was a tiny basement next to Bar Med, and it later bought warehouses off Poole's Alder Road.

Criminal's edgy T-shirt slogans and its "no advertising" policy, helped make it a cutting-edge brand. It had more than 50 staff and around 80 per cent of them came from the Bournemouth area.

Nicola Sutherland said: "It was like a family. Everyone that worked there adored Reza."

Moh said: "Reza was almost like a Bournemouth icon. Night-clubs would host launch events for free just to be associated with Criminal."

The company HQ moved to London and it had stores in Bournemouth's Albert Road, and in London's Covent Garden, Notting Hill and Carnaby Street.

Reza was involved with every aspect of the company and was universally well liked on the fashion scene for his honesty and sense of fun.

A Bournemouth clothes shop owner said his reputation in the industry was "golden".

Part of the company was sold to House of Fraser, then all of it after Reza's illness was diagnosed.

House of Fraser's first Criminal collection is due out in the autumn.

Reza was brought up in Tehran, and sent abroad to be educated in Paris, then Romsey.

He went to Brockenhurst College and studied international marketing at Bournemouth University.

His cancer was diagnosed in July 2007 and he threw himself into fighting the disease, adopting a raw food diet of wheatgrass shots, green juices and salads to try and starve the cancer.

But Moh said: "The oncologist said it was one of the two most aggressive sarcoma cancers that he has seen."

Sister-in-law Jade Dehghani said: "He stayed positive to the end. I never once heard him moan."

Reza's funeral is at Bournemouth North Cemetery, Strouden Avenue, at 12.30pm next Friday.

Rather than flowers, charitable donations are invited to the Reza and Yeganeh Dehghani Cancer Trust, which Moh will run primarily to raise awareness of Li-Fraumeni.