DESIGNER Jenna Barnes once had the task of measuring singer Will Young in his shorts for a man-sized corset when he appeared in the lead role for Cabaret the musical.

It was a tense few moments, during which they whispered a self-conscious hello to each other. Jenna was commissioned to make 25 made-to-measure costumes for the show, including sequinned shorts for co-star Michelle Ryan. She had to knock up three pairs in just two hours.

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Such is the life of a fashion designer and seamstress, but Will was so delighted by Jenna’s work he commissioned her to make woollen onesies for his mates for Christmas.

Rihanna’s stylist has requested samples of Jenna’s lingerie, Alesha Dixon and Victoria Beckham have both worn her garments.

The iconic picture of Victoria wearing a tiny pair of green satin Maria Grachvogel shorts has a very special place in Jenna’s heart because she made the sample worn by VB for the fashion shot that went around the world taken at London Fashion Week in 2000.

She even created an entire collection for her idol Kylie which was all pink and feathered tutus. Although she’s never seen the pop princess wearing her designs, she was reliably informed by ‘her people’ that she’d taken them home.

Today, Jenna, 36, a mum-of-three, from Clitheroe, owns the bespoke online lingerie brand Raine and Bea. She’s in the process of setting up the Jenna Barnes label. She is also a finalist in the Most Creative Business category of the Ribble Valley Business Awards.

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Jenna was taught at the age of eight to sew by her mum who had an old industrial sewing machine which she was banned from using without adult supervision.

“I used to watch my mum threading it up and draw secret diagrams so that when she was out of the house I could thread it myself,” says Jenna. “She got so worried about me doing that she taught me how to use it properly.”

From there she started raiding her mum’s wardrobe and cutting up old dresses and skirts to make hair scrunchies which she sold at school for 20p.

But her little empire came to a halt when she spied a beautiful black satin dress with a distinct rose pattern and cut it up. It turned out to be a dress her Auntie Maureen had bought for a funeral and her mum was looking after it.

“They eventually saw the funny side, but they’ve never let me live it down,” she laughs.

She did intend studying art and textiles at college but got distracted by a job making karate suits in Manchester.

Jenna’s break into fashion came at age 18 working for a group of young fashion graduates in Manchester who were providing clothes for Evans, Miss Selfridge and George labels. That’s when she got into pattern cutting and making samples.

From there she went on to work for a design room, Arthur Henriques.

She said: “It was like another world. At the interview I was given a Ben de Lisi gown to make. In four hours I’d made a blue taffeta gown for the Ben de Lisi range at Debenhams. It was amazing.”

But what of those world-famous shorts worn by Victoria Beckham?

“I had to make six samples and Victoria wore one of them for the show. She looked incredible in them and everybody was talking about them. I’ve never felt more proud.”

When Jenna met husband Chris, he couldn’t believe the extent of her wardrobe. “I’d knock up a new dress every time I went on a date with him. I was a size six and five feet tall, so I never needed much material.”

Jenna’s talent was recognised by Flic Everett and Simon Buckley who owned the vintage emporium Rags To Bitches in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. She created a vintage-inspired collection for the store.

One day a Harvey Nichols PR girl came looking for a seamstress to work backstage altering costumes for Celine Dion’s dancers, who were appearing in Manchester.

“We worked day and night. There were PVC macs that needed adjusting so the dancers could lift their arms properly. We added ostrich feathers to Herve Leger dresses. I loved it and I learned new sewing techniques along the way.

“I got the chance to see Celine’s Versace dresses up close and I examined every detail for the way they were put together. They were stunning.”

Rags closed and Jenna was inspired to launch her own range – Frockstars – with a fellow designer and the pair opened a studio in the Northern Quarter. But business rates proved too costly.

So Jenna started taking on commissions from family members and friends. While pregnant with her third child in 2011 she took part in Liverpool fashion week launching her stunning and raunchy lingerie collection which featured Swarovski nipple tassels, lace hot pants, feather skirts and silk bras.

“The paparazzi went crazy. The photos were shared all over the place. My collection was featured alongside Stella McCartney’s collection being shown in New York at the same time with the headline ‘Meanwhile at Liverpool fashion Week’.

And so Raine and Bea – named after her daughters Lily Raine and Nancy Bea – was launched and is now available online and at an artisan lingerie store in Rome. By the end of the year, she’ll have broken into the American market.

But one customer she didn’t anticipate for her silk vintage-inspired lingerie was men – transgenders, in particular.

“I’ve been told I need to make bigger sizes for men. Since Caitlyn Jenner there’s a whole new market out there.”

Jenna’s collections will be shown at a fashion show featuring evening dresses and lingerie at Brady’s wine bar, Whalley, on October 22.