Tallulah Love
13th Apr 2010
A North East designer is taking the lingerie world by storm after her collection caught the eye of some of the biggest names in retail
Michelle Taylor, from Hartlepool, exhibited at the top international lingerie show in Paris earlier this year where she was voted number one new brand to see.
Her collection, Tallulah Love, sold well in Fenwick of Newcastle and has outsold global brand Elle Macpherson in one store.
Michelle hopes the brand will soon be on sale in Harvey Nichols, Liberty of London and Selfridges as buyers rush to stock her luxury silk bras and briefs.
She only launched the company last summer and is getting help from legal and business experts in the North East to help her take it to the next level.
Through Northumbria University, where she studied fashion marketing in the mid-1990s, she was introduced to intellectual property lawyer Matthew Rippon, who has advised her to trademark the Tallulah Love name.
Matthew worked with Stephen Slater, of RMT accountants and business advisors, who helped Michelle with the financial side of her business, while business consultant Ross Golightly, of Sphera Consulting, has encouraged her on the funding side.
“They have helped me create a business plan and the vision for what I could achieve so I could apply to the Design and Creative Fund,” Michelle, 34, explained.
Her application was successful and won her £40,000 to allow her to develop a website and produce a luxury sample range, including sourcing top quality silk and lace, which won her plaudits at Le Salon International de la Lingerie in Paris.
“The interest in Paris was enormous and quite unexpected, as it was my first major exhibition,” she added.
“I’m hoping to do a similar exhibition in New York in August to try and generate interest from the big north American retailers. It would be fantastic to get the same reaction there.”
Vintage in style with a contemporary edge, the collection harks back to a glamorous age of curvaceous women reminiscent of French film and the 1920s-1940s.
The glamour continues in pretty packaging that Michelle also designs.
Matthew said: “I’m so pleased for Michelle. She had the courage and conviction to give up a fantastic job to pursue her dream and it’s paying off for her. It’s just such an exciting project to be involved with.”
She developed a strong reputation in the lingerie world after working for a number of major names.
She began her career 12 years ago with Courtaulds, a supplier to Marks & Spencer, designing shapewear and also being trained in bra design.
She then moved to Westbridge, which designed for high street stores including Top Shop and New Look, where she made contacts among manufacturers in the Far East.
Her move to Playboy Intimates as a senior designer was her first role with a major brand.
As creative director she was flown to Las Vegas to design swimwear for the leisure empire’s boss Hugh Heffner’s girls, and had regular contact with buyers of major lingerie retailers including Figleaves and Selfridges.
Michelle then decided to look into setting up her own business and went on to win the Tees Valley heat of the If We Can You Can entrepreneurship challenge.
“It was an incredibly apprehensive time when I decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship. I first tried to get my freelance business up and running to provide a steady stream of income whilst I designed my own brand, but it was still a leap of faith,” explained Michelle.
“Now it’s getting really exciting. I’ve been very encouraged by the response.”
Her sales team has already taken thousands of pounds worth of orders for summer delivery from exclusive boutiques and department stores in the UK, Dubai, Holland, Spain and France, and is in negotiations with retailers in Russia and the United States.
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