Focus on Britain: Design

1 Jan 1987

A look at the many facets of British design heritage, from fashion to dlight.

Originally broadcast in 1987 for daytime TV cable channel Lifestyle, this episode of Focus on looks at why Britain was home to so many successful industries of Design at the time. From architect Richard Rogers (Lloyds Building and the Millenium Dome) to British Aerospace engineer and Concord enthusiast John Martin, as well as the famous (and brilliantly named) Savile Rowe tailor Tommy Nutter.

American presenter John Venty sits down with each of them individually to ask, from an outsider's perspective, what is it about their work that is uniquely British and, more importantly, why is it so successful?

This light daytime cultural programme acts as an informative highlights reel of British design of the time.

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What We Wore

Fashion takes enormous strides forward in 20th century Britain.

From the Tudor court to the Georgian dandy, Britain has long cultivated a passion for fashion, but the late 20th century saw things step up a gear. New generations of talent emerged, whose idiosyncratic style democratised fashion for a younger crowd and helped sell ‘Cool Britannia’ to the world - long before that term was coined. In the 1960s, progress was catalysed by the ‘Swinging London’ of Biba and Mary Quant, followed by the Punk movement a decade later. Designers drew inspiration not just from contemporary subcultures but also from established craft traditions across the UK – in some cases helping to revive cottage industries at risk of dying out. The dawn of the 1980s saw the rise of avant-garde pioneers (Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne Westwood), reimagined Savile Row tailoring (Tommy Nutter) and the upscale yet quintessentially British chic of Jean Muir and Bruce Oldfield – a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales, who gifted British fashion a truly global platform.

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