“The British do have a style genius. I think we have some of the best designers in the world. We changed the way fashion was in the Sixties. We have some of the best High Street stores in the world. And there should be a programme celebrating it.” (Twiggy).

BBC Two flies the flag for British fashion design in a major new five-part documentary series which takes a look at what makes British fashion and style so distinctive and so influential.

British Style Genius begins by telling the story of the High Street look, in which fashion icon Kate Moss makes a rare TV appearance whilst working on her new line of clothes for the British High Street retailer Topshop.

Moss launched her first clothes collection in 2007. It was an immediate success and a perfect example of fashion “democracy” at work – making top end “supermodel” style at High Street prices – something that is unique to the British High Street.

Moss followed in the footsteps of Twiggy, who had launched her own range of clothes in the late Sixties. Before then, high fashion was the preserve of the elite, with young girls aspiring to look more like their mums than supermodels.

The programme speaks to Mary Quant, the trail-blazing designer who broke the fashion mould by making clothes for young people. Designer Barbara Hulinicki, who founded Biba in 1964, added to the mix by making youth fashion affordable.

Thanks to chains including M&S and Topshop, the gap between high fashion and High Street has never been smaller.

British Style Genius shows how, with the help of high-profile icons such as Kate Moss and a slew of designers, the British High Street is today the envy of the international fashion industry.

Other contributors to the film include: Philip Green; Jane Sheperdson; Celia Birtwell; Jonathan Saunders; Christopher Kate; Paula Reid; Twiggy; Stuart Rose; George Davies; and Anna Wintour.

Tuesday 7 October
9.00-10.00pm BBC TWO