Underwear raises infinite challenges to design. As fashion it exercises creative expression and abets personal display. As industrial design it exploits materials, construction and engineering in pursuit of health, comfort and economical production.

At worst, the British are virtually without style. At best, wildly experimental, with a rollicking sense of parody, drama and conceptual fantasy. Most of those in between reject international, commercial fashion images in favour of mixing fashion up for themselves.

The prevailing impression of the British and their underwear is that we in Britain all wear Marks & Spencer, but even there we exercise a wide choice of persona - Marks & Spencer make over 60 different models of white ladies' pants alone. Virginal, vampish, boyish, girlish, antique, futuristic, monochrome, contrast, seamless, constructed, flat, bouncy, plain or fancy, inside as well as out, the British love to dress up.

Inside Out was launched at the Design Museum, London, and travelled to Japan, Lithuania, Russia, Finland and Poland and is no longer touring.

Read Alice Cicolini's essay on British Style

Project Manager Alice Ciolini