Biba's 40th birthday

Forty years ago, in its heyday, the London fashion and lifestyle emporium was the place to shop. Biba, founded by husband-and-wife-team Barbara Hulanicki and Stephen Fitz-Simon in 1964, rapidly became an iconic brand on the London fashion scene. Known for its anti-establishment attitude to fashion and lifestyle, Biba set the tone for the fashion world.

The couple started their business off as a mail order operation, but soon began opening small shops in London. Their breakthrough "knock down, throw away and make another" philosophy towards the designer clothes market struck a cord with consumers. The cheaper the clothes, the more easily they could be replaced. Hulanicki, a former art student, incorporated Art Nouveau and Art Deco designs into her fabrics and sold dresses for just under £3. Orders came storming in, 17,000 to be precise, and the pair soon abandoned the mail order business.

In 1969 Big Biba opened on Kensington High Street. It sold everything from clothes and make-up to lifestyle merchandise, with a strong focus on 30's glam. The shop was co-funded by Dorothy Perkins. As its fame grew, the dim interiors, filled with rock music and mahogany screens, became an attraction for tourists. In 1973 Biba moved to an Art Deco department store on Kensington High Street, the former premises of Derry and Tom's.

Eventually the shop started to attract fewer shoppers. Hulanicki left the company after disagreements over creative control. In 1975 Biba was closed by the British Land Company. The Dorothy Perkins shareholder decided that the building that Big Biba was housed in was worth more that the ailing business itself. Biba never opened to the public again.

www.bbc.co.uk
22 september 2004

Is London Hot For Fashion?

London is heating up again and a new confidence in the fashion sector is seeing designers investing in the capital by opening new stores and launching new products. The safety-net of commerciality is slowly being reeled in and the so-called-innovation that once put London in the top spot of the fashion map is definitely on the rebound.

Perhaps all these images of war-torn nations and global disarray is having a positive effect on the fashion industry, which tends to rebel against stark political fronts and conservative times by offering something a little more fun, frivolous and daring. It's all about making a statement and no one does it better than our best-loved designers who instinctively inject a little glamour into our serious and turmoiled lives.

Take Roberto Cavalli, for instance. The flash Florentine designer who's loyal following cannot get enough of his sexy dresses. His flamboyant designs are being lapped up by the Chelsea set and Jordan alike since the opening of his new boutique on Sloane Street last week. While prim and proper fashion offers this season's refined look - which does in fact make a great look for day - people are looking for more upbeat fashion, a little bit vintage, a little bit flirty, a little more fun.

So, too, we are looking beyond our front doors for what is current and what is fashionable. Selfridges' Brazil 40° festival, which runs until May 30th, is showcasing some serious South American talent in terms of contemporary fashion. What better time then now, to introduce a new spirit and seduce us with a passionate culture. Go and get yourself a sunshine wardrobe while the city is heating up.

Don-Alvin Adegeest
18 May 2004

Micro-minis set tone in London

Mini's, Mods and punk rock took centre stage as London Fashion Week kicked off this weekend. Once again organisers face the challenge proving the city still deserves its reputation as the capital of cool. On Saturday though fantasy ice-queens in glittering micro-minis and feather coats kicked off the Fashion Week with their silver stilettos in a super hip debut show from designer Jenny Packham.

In recent years London has struggled to prove its supply of edgy young designers can still cut it with the best. "The other cities might have the commercial muscle but London's strength lies in its talent," said Nicholas Coleridge, chairman of the British Fashion Council which organises the twice-yearly event. "It is less predictable in London and slightly more buccaneering and dangerous in the way that young designers take greater risks."

This Winter 2003 schedule has 50 catwalk shows as well as two dozen off-schedule events.
Among the more established names showing are Julien Macdonald, Roland Mouret, Burberry and Paul Smith. Clements Ribeiro and Katharine Hamnett are returning to London after several seasons showing elsewhere. Lesser known designers tipped as rising stars include Alice Temperley, Warren Noronha, Emma Cook and Sophia Kokosolaki.

The absence of international headline-makers (models and designers alike) has led to criticism that London lacks the glamour to make a big impact. This season sponsors Procter and Gamble have tried to inject a bit of gloss by paying for a raft of supermodels -- including Erin O'Connor and Jodie Kidd -- to fly in to London. These models will each appear in three shows -- including one by a small designer of their choice.

February 18, 2003

First London Textile Forum successful

The new fabric trade fair in London that took place this weekend had been a success. Exhibitors reported that response to the fair was excellent. Eighteen upmarket collections were on show at the premises of British Apparel & Textile Confederation near Oxford Circus. Buyers from Britain's top retailers, fashion chains and designers visited the fair.

David Burke, sales director at clothing maker Henry Bertrand: "There is a real need for a fabric show in Central London so the leading producers can work with the top designers and manufacturers committed to producing in Europe".

Presently, UK buyers are forced to travel to continental Europe to see the latest collections, after the London Preview and Elite Fabric Show events were discontinued. The second Textile Forum, which admits by invitation only, will run on 4 and 5 March 2003.

10-02-02