Elle Macpherson, host and executive producer of the reality competition series “Fashion Star”, is an iconic figure in the world of fashion; she was one of the original “supermodels” in the 1980s - women with worldwide appeal and a background in high fashion.

Her popularity as a model launched a career as a host, actor and designer, which saw her create her own lingerie line, “Elle Macpherson Intimates”. And while she’s thankful for all of her successes, the 48-year-old says a show like “Fashion Star” would have helped her out immensely when she was in the early stages of building her fashion brand.

“I wish that I had the mentoring from such powerhouses as (“Fashion Star” mentors) Jessica (Simpson), John (Varvatos) and Nicole (Richie) when I was starting out,” she says. “And I certainly wish that my lingerie was available at Macy’s Saks and H&M, which it’s not. So these designers are getting a springboard in positioning that I have never had, and that I still don’t have. So, to some extent I’m envious, but excited for these designers for this opportunity.”

The contestants on “Fashion Star” get to showcase their designs in front of buyers from those three huge stores, with the opportunity to have the designs purchased and then sold the next day to customers. The grand prize for the winning designer is to have their collection launched in all three stores.

Macpherson says the show can help train many designers, not just the ones competing on the show, because it demonstrates how difficult it is trying to get a collection purchased by a retailer.

 “A lot of shows talk about how to create clothes, and this is really the other part which is equally important, which is not only to create clothes, but how to sell them and to market fashion,” she says.

Macpherson instantly fell in love with the concept for “Fashion Star” when fellow executive producer Ben Silverman pitched the idea to her.

“I was very interested in the concept because I had seen something a few years ago where I saw a fashion show streamed live in Japan,” she remembers. “I noticed you could move your mouse across the model and click on the garments and buy them immediately, and I knew that this was revolutionary as a far as fashion and shopping was concerned.”

So far, many of the purchased designs from the show have reportedly been selling out very well.  This news doesn’t surprise Macpherson, as she sees the immediacy of connecting with styles and designers as the next logical step in the fashion industry.

“Fashion is becoming more and more accessible.  The fact that we have a fashion show on network television in itself speaks wonders,” she says. “And I think it’s a fantastic testament to society’s desire to express ourselves through the clothes that we wear.”

Macpherson says she herself is learning many new facts about the retailer-designer relationship through the show, and credits her career in fashion to creating the model-turned-businesswoman she is proud to be today.

“I do know that as I’ve matured and I’m more confident in who I am on the inside, I worry less about making mistakes on the outside,” she says. “Fashion is really interesting because we can really express ourselves through fashion, and today I can be frivolous, I can be fun, I can experiment and it’s all okay.  As long as it reflects what I’m feeling and it’s true to me, I feel confident.”

“Fashion Star” season finale airs Tuesday at 10pm ET on CTV two. You can watch episodes online at CTV.ca