Jenn Jones has managed to make a career out of transforming Auckland's drag queens into something exceptionally fabulous.
She designs and makes the costumes for some of Aotearoa's most iconic performers.
She's even had her work make its way to main-stage of Ru Paul's Drag Race – the US reality competition television series. The show documents RuPaul in the search for "America's next drag superstar."
She helped Drag Race Down Under season one winner Kita Mean take the crown.
One of Jenn Jones drag queen costumes Photo: supplied
The self-taught seamstress tells Afternoons being associated with the global success of the drag queen stars feels a bit surreal.
“It's gained such a huge momentum because of RuPaul and it’s such a global phenomenon right now, everyone is super interested," she says.
She credits her mother with much of her creativity. “I was always into art and being that my mum knitted for us and baked. She was creative and colourful and I guess that gene came down," she says.
Jones use to work in an old-school sowing factory with over 300 women and at 15 used her skills to modify a pair of high heels that where too tight, instating a vent and adding decorative elements to them.
It wasn't until a designer friend asked her to do work on her behalf that the association with drag began.in 1999 when fashion designer friend asked for a favour.
“The drag itself I was doing out work for a super cool Auckland designer Turet Knuefermann,' she says. "She ran in those circles and was too busy one April about 22 years ago and she said ‘hey Jenn can you get these outfits together for the show at the weekend.
“I always call my first queen Bucky, ‘Buckweat’, showed up with Birtha, Bambi and Shanice, and it went from there."
She adapted her skill set and learned as she went along, teaming up with drag icon Buckweat.
“Bucky never left. I had an amazing time and learnt with him as I went along because I always used to just do women’s sowing and fashion.”
Her partner Ben has helped along the way too, acting as a body double for Buckwheat, trying on dresses so Jones could work on Bucky's outfits.
“My Ben, he’s been a gym bunny all his life, a rugby league guy and Bucky and him had a similar shape and at one point Bucky was entering a body building competition and he was going to the gym a lot and in amazing shape. And I said the Ben ‘try this one, try this one.’ He’s a tradie, has a business doing roofing’ and he’s like ‘hurry up, hurry, my workers are coming round and I don’t want them to see me in this dress.”
There are challenges of creating dresses for a drag act and Jones has learned a few tricks to being successful.
“There are so many online platforms that you can learn from, but back then I was really blind, I had no theatre experience," she says.
"One of the pictures that made it into the Express magazine the other week shows the very first dresses that I made for Bucky and when they come they didn’t bring their foam boobs. So I took measurements to make these dresses and when I was measuring them they all put their fists in front of where their foam boobs were go, about that size and if you look at that picture closely, I did not get those cup sizes right.
Since the early days and trail and error, she has nailed her trade.
Her Heavenly Hibiscus design, for example, won the Overall Highly Commended Award, came second out of over 300 garments at the 2004 Westfield Style Pasifika Awards, while winning the Hero category.
“Over the years, it’s like, you got to bring your padding and I’ve learned stretch is a favour. You can use any fabric that’s got a bit of give in it. You have to use heavy-duty zips and for something they want to wear a lot has got to be robust. It’s not something that you can whip up in chiffon, because when they’re performing and quick changes, it’s got to be built to last."
Programmes like Ru Paul's Drag Race have lifted the bar very high now, she says.
"There's a lot of very talented people like Kida [Mean] coming through.
The glamour of those queens contrasts with her own life, she says.
“I live a normal life with my kids and have to cook dinner and being involved in that type of process, with her and them, is just amazing...
“It’s such a fun, creative thing. Everyone is so joyful, they’re just wonderful human beings. There are so many of them that have been in my life and still are lifelong friends, with so much love and fun and joy and they do fun stuff.”
