Barbara Hulanicki, alongside her husband Stephen Fitz-Simon, established Biba’s Postal Boutique in 1963 as a small mail-order company selling inexpensive women’s and children’s clothing.
In the summer of 1964, a pink gingham dress was offered, of which 17,000 were sold, prompting Hulanicki to give up her successful career as a fashion illustrator and devote herself to Biba.
For the next ten years Hulanicki was at the helm of Biba, creating the company in the image of its staff and its customers, and steering it through its many transformations: from tiny boutique to seven-storey department store.
By 1975 the bubble had burst and Hulanicki’s journey with Biba came to an end. But Biba survives, as part of London’s and fashion’s histories. This exhibition is the story of Biba, a company that existed for just over a decade, but which, within those years, revolutionised retailing and democratised fashion.
Available for hire
This exhibition is available for hire. Please contact us for further information. You can also learn more about the museum’s touring exhibitions programme.