ONE Windermere businesswoman is flying the flag for British manufacturing with a new lingerie brand.

Shirley Crisp has set up UniBu, a lingerie brand that is made entirely in Britain.

Shirley, who previously ran the Shirley C Lingerie shop in Windermere, said that she felt there was a real gap in the market for products that had been wholly made in the United Kingdom.

"I have always been fascinated with how things are made and I had always had a passion for things that are produced in Britain," she said. "Not a lot is really produced in Britain so that sparked my interest.

"Production was moved to places like China and Turkey because people did not feel it was viable to do it here."

She said that often, even when companies utilise the 'made in Britain' stamp, the product has only been partly sourced in the UK.

Every element of Shirley's range, which currently consists of five knicker designs for women and two boxer designs for men, has been sourced in the UK.

"All my components are British made, they are not just put together in Britain," she said. "Made in Britain provenance is a sign of quality. It is always recognised as being very good quality."

At 45, Shirley has been working in the lingerie industry for the past nine years and in that time she said that she has got to know what it is that men and women want from their underwear.

"It's all about quality, good fit and comfort," Shirley said. "Nine out of ten times people say to me that they went something comfortable.

"I've been developing this range over the last 18 months, I sold it within the shop as a test and because it's gone so well and I have had such positive feedback I decided that it was the right time."

Shirley is currently delivering a small range online and is working to get her products into independent retailers.

She hopes that in the long term she will be able to expand the collection, as well as open up a small sewing school to develop skills in the area.

"I have decided to do this in my forties, while I'm still young enough," she said. "I like a challenge and this is a big challenge!"