‘Lady Gaga swooped in when I really needed a lift’

A milliner landed a commission of a lifetime after Lady Gaga ordered four hats from her, and she said the “knock-on effects have been massive”.

Carrie Jenkinson, who lives in Sutton Benger near Chippenham, Wiltshire, has since had a private jet and luxury cars picking up her hats, as lots of famous people expect fast turnarounds.

But, Ms Jenkinson said Lady Gaga was “generous and supportive” and gave her a two-week deadline.

She initially started making hats as a hobby, but they proved so popular she now runs Carrie Jenkinson Millinery full-time.

“The Lady Gaga thing has swooped in at a moment when I really needed a lift.

“It has gone a bit mental,” she said.

She now regularly has cars sent to her door to pick up hats for the rich and famous.

After an accident last year left her brain damaged, Ms Jenkinson said making the hats has also become therapy for her.

“I’ve had to re-train myself to make them. I feel they’re better now than they were before,” she said.

Lady Gaga wore the hats for her residency in Las Vegas. She later sent two back to Ms Jenkinson for her own use.

One of the hats back with Ms Jenkinson is a black feather creation.

“She tilted it over her face. This would take me a few days to make.

“The whole thing is handmade and shatter-proof so they can go on stage,” she added.

She is still a bit shocked by it all.

“I do feel like a fish out of water. The knock-on effects has been massive. I’m just riding the wave of it really,” she said.

Despite receiving commissions from VIPs, Ms Jenkinson still makes her hats from her small village.

“I kind of like working in here. It’s nice and quiet. My clients like coming here rather than to a shop.

“There’s so much stuff here, I don’t think I could move out,” she added.

Her space is full of hats people have likely seen in pictures, such as one used to open London Fashion Week.

“It’s more than a job to me, it’s something I really love doing,” she said.