Barbara Hulanicki started by running a mail-order fashion operation in 1964 with her ad-man husband Stephen Fitzsimon. They felt that the price of fashion was still too high for many so they promoted the ‘knock-down, throw-away-and-buy-another’ philosophy. The cheaper the clothes, the more temporary they could be. Barbara designed her own fabrics in blends of Art Nouveau and Art Deco and the clothes she created were affordable and attractive. When Felicity Green in The Mirror featured one of Biba’s gingham dresses at just under three pounds, the orders flooded in. As a result of this success Barbara Hulanicki opened Biba as a small boutique in Abingdon Road. Soon after Biba opened in Kensington Church Street.

Biba became a way of life. The shop too had been designed with the greatest care.  It was dark, like a discotheque with a hi-fi system playing rock music. There were dark mahogany screens everywhere, twenty potted palms and twenty-nine hat stands laden with hats, feathers and assorted clothes. Barbara kept with the same style and cut during the 60's: high, tight shoulders and straight, tight fitting sleeves.  In 1969 Biba was now opened on a grand scale in Kensington High Street, and was concentrating on the 30s look with lots of satin, ostrich feathers and long dresses. In the late 60's and early 70's Biba was best known for moody, nostalgic clothes and accessories in shades of brown, plum, grey, and pink.

In 1973 it moved to the former premises of Derry and Toms, an Art Deco department store in Kensington, London. However, it could not make enough profits to stay open. Biba closed its doors indefinitely in the mid-1970s. A major retrospective exhibition was held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1993, coinciding with the revival of 1970s fashion.

Last updated: June 01, 2003

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