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, of Hartlepool, exhibited at the top international lingerie show in Paris earlier this year where she was voted the number one new brand.

Her collection, Tallulah Love, sold well in Fenwick, of Newcastle, and has outsold global brand Elle Macpherson in one store.

Now she hopes it will soon be selling in Harvey Nichols, Liberty of London and Selfridges as buyers rush to stock her luxury silk bras and briefs.

The 34-year-old only launched the company last summer with help from legal and business experts.

Northumbria University, where she studied fashion marketing in the mid-1990s, introduced her to intellectual property lawyer Matthew Rippon, of BHP Law, who advised her to trademark the Tallulah Love name.

He worked with Stephen Slater, of RMT accountants and business advisors, who helped on the financial side, while business consultant Ross Golightly, of Sphera Consulting, helped with funding.

They helped create a business plan and, to gain 40,000 from the Design and Creative Fund, 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.

Miss Taylor said: "The interest in Paris was enormous and quite unexpected, as it was my first major exhibition.

"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."

Described as a vintage style with a contemporary edge, the collection harks back to a glamorous age of the 1920s-1940s.

Miss Taylor began her career 12 years ago with Courtaulds, a supplier to Marks & Spencer, designing shapewear and was 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 went 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.

She then decided to start her own business and won the Tees Valley heat of the If We Can You Can entrepreneurs challenge.

Her sales team has already taken thousands of pounds worth of orders for summer delivery from boutiques and department stores in the UK, Dubai, Holland, Spain and France, and is in negotiations with retailers in Russia and the United States.