Seymour is still uplifting even without support

The UK design industry has its own Billy Elliott and the star in question is Richard Seymour.

No, really. It also came as something of a revelation to the audience at the first in the series of British Design & Art Direction President Lectures 2001 last week, if the sharp intakes of breath were anything to go by.

Apparently, Seymour, whose figure lends itself more to a Bedouin tent than an arabesque, gave up a promising ballet career at the age of seven. Exhibitionism though, still runs in his blood.

Taking to the stage to start his Highway to Hell lecture, he couldn’t help showing a touch of theatre as he whipped off his Charnos Bioform bra.

Perhaps he was trying to upstage our Cologne fair corset-wearing flasher friend.