SWIMWEAR DESIGNER ALLY ARMITAGE GETS CELEB BACKING AS SHE LAUNCHES NEW BRAND

A Hull designer is making a splash with her new swimwear range - which despite only being launched three months is getting celebrity attention.

Ally Armitage, 27, from Kirk Ella, came up with the idea for Ezili Swimwear a year ago and set her plan in action after being inspired by designers.

Ally moved to Manchester to study fashion at university and began modelling swimwear after that - and says her past career inspired her to start her new one.

Ally said: "I did a lot of swimwear shoots as a model and I really enjoyed watching the designers put the shoot together.

"The subject I studied at uni and then modelling set me up well to do something like this, hopefully I will understand the industry.

"I wanted to create some beachwear that girls can wear on holiday - I could easily see the range being worn on beaches or clubs in Marbella or Ibiza."

Ally said she also wanted to create something which looked premium and had a designer feel - but was affordable.

Several celebrities have appeared wearing her designs, including Real Housewives of Cheshire star and model Misse Beqiri and Harriette Harper from Ex on the Beach.

She added: "We aren't at the top of the price range or at the bottom, but in the middle and I don't think there's much like us on the market.

"I do all my work from home but one day I want my own workshop, which would make things easier.

"So far, we've done shoots for the company in Australia - I was on holiday at the time and thought I would take advantage of that and shoot and the pictures turned out great."

Ally said she came up with the idea for the range last year - but has only launched in the past three months.

She's amassed over a thousand followers on Instagram because of her glossy swimwear shots, but adds she's still invested in Hull at heart.

She said: "I might live in Manchester now, but I'm back in Hull to visit my parents all the time.

"It's still a massive part of my life and I'm excited to see where this all goes."

Ally Armitage, left, and one of her swim designs, right