Young mom designs range of sexy high-waisted bikinis made to cover pregnancy scars in style
When one Florida mom became frustrated after scouring stores and being unable to find a swimsuit that had a high enough waist to cover her pregnancy scars, she decided to design her own.
Altrichia Cook, 28, became frustrated with the lack of options when she was searching for flattering swimwear for a vacation in 2013. So she created a suit, and she posted images of her creation on social media word spread quickly, Buzzfeed reported.
Realizing that she had spotted a gap in the market, Ms. Cook founded Allusions by A. Lekay in order to create a range of fashionable, flattering swimwear that would allow new moms to step out onto the beach in style.
Bathing beauty: Altrichia Cook could not find a swimsuit that was high-waisted enough to cover her pregnancy scars, so she decided to work with a tailor to create her own design
Cover girl: Nicki Minaj wore a bathing suit from the Rockstar collection for the July 2015 issue of Cosmopolitan
Inspired by the glamour of a 1950s-era Marilyn Monroe photo shoot, Ms. Cook creates styles that she hopes all of her customer feel comfortable and fashionable in - whether they have scars or not.
She has also gained celebrity fans including Nicki Minaj, who wore a piece from Ms. Cook's Rockstar collection featuring a stars and stripes design for the cover of Cosmopolitan.
Ms. Cook first connected with Cosmopolitan when she attended the magazine's Fun Fearless Life Weekend in New York City that featured presentations by speakers including Chrissy Teigen, Jillian Michaels and Spanx founder Sara Blakely.
After the event, Ms. Cook contacted Executive Fashion Director Aya Kanai on Instagram several times. Ms. Kanai requested items, but did not tell Ms. Cook who they were for - so, in true social media fashion, the designer's first time seeing the final shot of Nicki in her collection was on Instagram.
In addition to her burgeoning celebrity clientele, Ms. Cook has also gained praise from women who say that they have gained confidence by wearing her designs - and even women who don't have children.
'My vision is to provide the most fashionable pieces to women from all walks of life, whilst empowering women to live life fierce and fearlessly! This simply means that whatever, you set out to do or achieve, you can do just that,' Ms. Cook wrote in an email to MailOnline.
Her other achievements in the past year include showing a collection at Miami Fashion Week, and partnering with Verizon for a campaign.
Flattering fit: Ms. Cook has said that her goal is making all women feel sexy and confident, whether or not they have pregnancy scars
Glamour girl: The designer says that she is inspired by the flawless beauty of Marilyn Monroe posing during a photo shoot
Hitting the beach: Ms. Cook wants every woman to feel sexy when stepping out on the sand
Playful patterns: Her designs feature high waists and come in a range of colors and bold prints
Creating confidence: Ms. Cook says that she has received grateful messages from customers, including a woman who had not wanted to wear a two-piece suit in 20 years
- Allusions by A. Lekay
- Designer Mom Creates Stylish Bikinis That Conceal Women’s Pregnancy Scars - DesignTAXI.com
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