EVEN as a teenager growing up in the relatively obscure surroundings of Ramsbottom, Henry Holland was obsessed with the world of fashion.

While most of his peers were out playing football or chatting up girls, Henry was busy studying the pages of The Face magazine (which he had to order specially from the village post office) and dreaming of a future in the bright lights of London.

“I’ve always loved fashion,” said Henry, 26. “My mum’s very stylish and quite flamboyant, so maybe I get it from her.”

“Mind you,” he added, tongue-in-cheek. “She put me in all sorts of fashion horrors when I was little. I’m not claiming any responsibility for them because as soon as I was able to dress myself I was, obviously, very stylish.”

A student at Edenfield Primary School (which was just at the bottom of his road), then Bury Grammar School, Oakhill Coll-ege, Whalley, and finally Holy Cross College, Bury, Henry had a strong work ethic instilled in him from an early age.

“I started work as a waiter at Bailey’s tea shop, in Ramsbottom, on the day of Princess Diana’s funeral,” he said.

“I’d just turned 14, and I worked there every weekend until I was 17 and then I got a job in a shoe shop in Manchester, so I’ve always worked.

“Both of my parents run their own businesses and I always said I’d never run my own business because I saw them working so hard at evenings and weekends. It didn’t really quite work out like that, though!”

It was during his days hanging out in his home town that he met best friend, supermodel-to-be Agyness Deyn.

The pair famously met at 13 when she was serving in a local fish and chip shop. They moved to London and spent their days happily raiding charity shops and car boot sales for kooky clothing.

Agyness was spotted by a model scout while shopping with Henry and her career went stellar after she was photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue magazine in 2005.

Meanwhile, Henry, who had completed a journalism degree, became fashion editor at Smash Hits magazine and started designing T-shirts in his spare time.

The T-shirts, featuring saucy rhyming couplets, started off as an in-joke poking fun at Henry’s favourite fashion icons (e.g. I’ll Show You Who’s Boss, Kate Moss and Do Me Daily Christopher Bailey).

The T-shirts became an underground hit during 2006 London Fashion Week and soon everyone from Harvey Nichols to Barneys in New York was stocking them. Henry and Aggy had become fashion’s hottest new couple.

“Making T-shirts started off as a hobby,” said Henry.

“It was all a bit of a joke really. I didn’t dislike my job in any way. I loved it. But all of a sudden this took on a life of its own and I just didn’t have time to have a job anymore.”

Henry’s most recent work includes a brand new range for department store Debenhams, where he joins Jasper Conran, Julien Macdonald, John Rocha, Betty Jackson, Matthew Williamson, and Ben De Lisi as a contributor to the “Designers at Debenhams” range.

H! By Henry Holland will include brightly-coloured garments, including bold print dresses and his signature print totes, designed to appeal to the 17 to 25-year-old age range and priced from £5 to £60.

“Part of the fun is the fact the collection is going to be so widely available so everybody back up north is going to be able to buy something,” said Henry.

“Our customers are a lot younger than a lot of brands that show on the catwalk so we have to keep them the right price. We joke that our main customers are younger girls and their jazzy mums.”

But no matter how big he becomes in the world of fashion, Henry reckons he’ll keep grounded thanks to his Lancashire roots.

“Where I came from is very important to me and it’s definitely something that translates into how I work, my sensibility and sense of humour is incorporated into my designs,” he said.

“The way we work is very northern too. There’s this approachability and friendly atmosphere. I’m very proud of where I come from.”

Another reason Henry won’t turn into a diva is because he surrounds himself with his mates at work.

“I work really closely with two of my best friends — Agyness and Jessica, who I went to school with in Whalley and have known for 15 years. Although we’re not actually related by blood, I consider us a family business,” he said.

“A lot of people I work with were friends before colleagues, which is important because it creates a much more productive and creative atmosphere. And, of course, it means there’s nobody here who blows smoke up my a***. Even if I ask them to get me a coffee they tell me to stick it, so there’s no chance of me turning into a diva any time soon.”

Although Agyness moved to New York two years ago, Henry says they’ll always be friends.

“We miss each other a lot, but we keep in touch,” he said. “We speak as much as possible and we go on holiday together.

“We’ll definitely be friends for life because we understand what each other has been through. It’s so nice to have someone in the industry that you can talk to.”

Henry gets home to Ramsbottom when he can — always at Christmas and for family birthdays — and his family often visit him in London.

“It’s difficult because I travel so much for work,” he said. “So when I do have a weekend when I’m not working it’s nice to just be in my own house.”

So what does he do in his spare time?

“Sleep,” he said.

“About the only spare time I get is when I’m unconscious!”