Jayne Pierson: From sleeping under a desk to designing clothes for Beyonce and Lady Gaga

Fashion designer Jayne Pierson, from Pembrey in Carmarthenshire, has created clothes for some of the most famous figures in the world.

She has designed outfits for Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and the Kardashians - to name a few.

But her journey did not start off smoothly.

Jayne said she "lived off instant noodles" and slept under her studio desk at night when she was starting out.

She got her break as a design assistant at Alexander McQueen in London but her home was still in Wales.

"When funds were too tight to travel back and forth I would stay on a friend's couch."

She started out by doing print design and pattern cutting. From there, Jayne managed to get a job with the iconic Vivienne Westwood - who sadly died at the end of last year.

"She was an absolute legend, of course, and so inspiring to me as a woman in fashion.

"She was a genius at tailoring... She had two boys, two children, and they'd come into the studio. It was a very family operated kind of place. The little dog would come in and her granddaughter would come in regularly, it was just so lovely. Such a family atmosphere, and so supportive of people in fashion as well."

Following her internships, Jayne made it her mission to set up her own studio.

The turning point came after she successfully applied to show a collection at London Fashion Week.

"I fully didn't anticipate them saying yes.

"It snowballed from there."

Singer Ellie Goulding was one of Jayne's first clients and then word-of-mouth led to her working with many more celebrities.

One of the most important things to Jayne is creating sustainable garments.

"It's so important to be mindful of the environment and to use pieces of fabrics that are cast offs, and you can reuse them. Upcycle, reimagine, repurpose...

"Be more mindful about what you're buying, and you don't need to buy as much product. You can make things last longer, and it's not so much following a trend, but something that's more timeless and made well.

"I've had to keep the business small and mindful, being a single mom with twin daughters, I've had to be careful to not get into bridging loans and mass produce things of any quantities. Every single thing is bespoke, which means that I never have any remnants of garments that are going to end up in a landfill site."

The inspiration for Jayne's collections comes from her daughter Ruby, who she describes as her muse.

Ruby died from a brain tumour when she was just four years old.

Jayne said she thinks of all of the things that Ruby would be doing at different stages of her life and creates the clothes that she imagines her wearing in these moments. 

"I reimagined her living in this sort of parallel universe being this wonderful, empowered soul and so I create the collections entirely for her."

With family being so important to her, Jayne wanted to set up her studio in her home village of Pembrey.

It is situated in a unique location for a fashion studio - an airfield airport!

"We all work there. It's great. It's a very family run affair, so to speak. And it's wonderful in the sense that people can fly in for fittings. You know, when they can see me they're working in this wonderful place, so rural but beautiful."

Jayne said the fashion industry is highly competitive and London-centric. She is trying to do more to keep the skills in Wales by developing and supporting emerging designers. She is currently planning to create a Celtic Fashion Council, in order to do just that.

• Find out more about Jayne Pierson on Backstage, Friday 5 May at 7pm on ITV1 Wales and later online.