Pregnant women are often neglected by fashion designers, but a Durham University graduate is changing that with a new luxorious lingerie business. Women's Editor Linday Jennings meets her.

WHEN Jules Fossett's sister and sister-in-law asked her to consider making luxury lingerie for pregnant woman she laughed in their faces.

That was until the 28-year-old started talking to other pregnant women and realised there was not so much a gap as a gaping chasm in the market.

Jules had been working as a planner with a London-based advertising agency and was chatting about some of the products a lingerie client was making.

"I was talking to my sister and sister-in-law and they said 'what you're doing is fine, but there's not much for expectant mothers'. We were all having a laugh about it, but then the idea began to intrigue me."

Jules left Durham University with a first in psychology two years ago before embarking on her advertising career. But, having always wanted to run her own business, she suddenly found herself laying the groundwork for a company creating luxury maternity wear.

"I decided it really had to combine comfort, practicality and style and that the first two were already catered for and the last definitely wasn't," she says. "I thought many women were used to treating themselves and wearing nice underwear so why wouldn't they want to do that when they were pregnant?

"Some women don't feel comfortable in their bodies and don't feel sexy when they're pregnant so beautiful lingerie plays a psychological role. They don't feel like they're just a baby making machine and feel like themselves - not only at the maternity stage but also when they're nursing."

With her new business in mind, Jules gave up her advertising job and embarked upon a steep 18 month learning curve. She underwent a business course at the London College of Fashion then had to find a factory to make her lingerie and a designer to create it.

"Along the way it was almost like the university of bra design, I learned everything the hard way by actually doing it", she says.

Eventually Jules found a factory in South East Asia and secured the services of designer Julie Davies, who has just had a baby girl and who used to work for glamorous lingerie specialists Agent Provocateur.

Having the first set of underwear in her hands was a "massive rush" she says and with the basics in place, Jules just had to woo the public.

She launched her business, Amoralia - the name comes from the Latin words amor 'to love' and alia meaning 'another'- at the Harrogate Lingerie Show in February.

"I got a great reaction at the fair and two people put in an order, which was fantastic," says Jules.

Jules went on to secure 18 accounts for her first season, autumn/winter 05 collection, and for her next season - spring/summer 06 - she secured another 14, including Harvey Nichols in London, figleaves.com and lingerie outlets in Dubai and Paris - and selling lingerie to the underwear fastidious Parisians was no mean feat.

"It was like selling sand to the Egyptians," she laughs. "But I think there's a universal need for this product. Some people have said it's almost worth getting pregnant for."

To add to her success, Jules also won Durham University's Blueprint business planning competition, having beaten 140 undergraduate and postgraduate students and alumni of the university involved in 80 different business projects. The aim of the competition was to celebrate enterprise and Jules won £2,000 worth of investment in her business, plus free consultancy time with business specialists.

The judges were impressed by her designs, which include knickers cut to flatter bigger bottoms and pretty, but practical straps on bras to provide comfort and support.

Jules spoke to dozens of midwives, pregnant and breastfeeding women as part of her research to try to solve issues which repeatedly came up, such as invisible nursing clips, pretty straps and breast pad holders.

Her ranges include Nougatine, which is made of lace and satin but is cotton backed for comfort. "It's cut to fit below the bump and it's all about texture so it's very soft against the skin," says Jules. "The bras also all stretch so they can grow with the bust a little bit." Another range, Praline, combines satin with soft microfibres and is ideal for wearing under t-shirts and everyday clothing.

There are more plans for expansion, too. Jules is launching two swimwear ranges and a sleepwear collection in Paris in February next year.

"I'd like to be able to do the full range of luxury maternity products eventually, from stretch mark creams and swimwear to sleepwear and hosiery. A one-stop shop for treats for pregnant women," she says.

Jules, who's half Belgian, has lived across Europe and went to school in Hertfordshire. She's currently seeing boyfriend Richard Canterbury and lives in London. She wants her own family one day and can rest assured she'll know where to get great underwear.

"I'll probably be the best informed pregnant woman, having had to learn so much to launch the business," she laughs.

* Amoralia can be contacted at www.amoralia.com. Prices start at £35 for a bra and £16 for knickers. A percentage of the profits go to Tommy's, a charity which aims to end the heartache caused by premature birth, miscarriage and stillbirth.