Kate Moss is defined by her effortless rock chic, a look that everyone wants to copy.

But according to a new book, the fashionista developed her unique style by rifling through clothes in Croydon’s charity shops.

Kate Moss: Style by Angela Buttolph examines the impact of Kate’s wardrobe on the high street.

“I was always the one in Croydon walking down the street with bags full of Oxfam clothes for 10p. I could always find more than everyone else,” she said.

The model was famously spotted sitting on her suitcase in JFK airport by London scout Sarah Doukas in 1988. Shortly after joining Storm fashion agency she met photographer Corinne Day who also had a passion for collecting second-hand clothes.

The pair graduated from charity shops in Croydon to markets in London and Paris.

Armed with nothing but an eye for vintage pieces and a pair of scissors they customised their look as they went along.

In 1991 after doing a shoot for Dolce and Gabbana, Kate’s tastes became more upmarket as she discovered the world of designer vintage.

Some of her more famous pieces include a silver beaded flapper dress which she wore at a movie premiere with Johnny Depp in 1994 and more recently the gorgeous floor-length blue sequinned gown that she wore at for her 30th birthday party. The theme was The Beautiful and The Damned.

The dress was originally worn by Britt Ekland for the premiere of The Man with the Golden Gun in 1973.

It is Kate’s influence on High Street fashion that has earned her a legacy in the fashion industry.

She has her own range of clothes at Top Shop and has been responsible for the prom dress and pumps fad and stamped her mark on the style of skinny jeans.

She is the woman that every teenage wannabe wants to be. Stylist Brana Wolf says that years from now people will define the fashion of our time by looking at what Kate Moss wore.