The Rise and Fall of Biba
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- The original Biba store lasted only 12 years, but made an incredible impact on the fashion and the retailing worlds. The first store to utilise low lighting and loud music, the first the have communal changing rooms, the first to sell seemingly unrelated ancillary products like diaries, the list of innovations made by this team of two (Barbara Hulanicki and her husband Stephen Fitz-Simon) is as long as your arm. So why then did it fall? Well, they never moved the business over from its original sole trader status, which it's always advised to do when a business starts making anywhere near serious money, and it left them vulnerable to the affects of bankruptcy. So, when they made one catalogue that didn't sell as well as the others, it left them desperate, soon establishing Biba Ltd. with three other partners who at first seemed great, but soon turned sour.
Beauty Channel: / @underskinyt
Patreon: patreon.com/understitch
Unless otherwise obvious, photos in this video are from Getty Images or Alamy under their editorial terms used for non-commercial websites, blogs and social media posts illustrating matters of public interest.
Affiliate Links for Books Used:
Hulanicki (2014) The Biba Years: amzn.to/3zv0bxL
Hulanicki (2018) A to Biba: amzn.to/3WcEQSt
Gonzalez (2018) Chronicles of a Fashion Buyer: amzn.to/3VXRMdA
Thomas & Turner (2024) Welcome to Big Biba: amzn.to/4cM6sUJ
I love Barbara Hulanicki. I've been friends with her for years, and she's the most candid, funny, honest, and intelligent person I know. She's my greatest inspiration. Thank you for this video; I'm going to enjoy listening to it.
P.S. A couple of years ago, when I was leaving Miami, I went to Barbara to say goodbye. I made an interview with her and I also took some photographs of Barbara in her studio. I'm always looking for a way to showcase those pictures in a magazine, as a tribute to Barbara, but I don't have the right connections. It would be lovely to see them published because I believe she deserves huge recognition…
I would love love love to see that interview, she really does seem like an incredible and totally novel person
I had the honour and pleasure to meet Barbara and as you say, she's one of the kindest, positive and intelligent people you could ever come across. The Biba legacy is something that will be forever in history as a defining moment of change for the fashion and retail industry. You can only have big respect for this. I wish I were able to experience Biba myself but unfortunately it way way before my time.
@agatarek_official Why don't you put some of them on your own channel? Don't give them to another channel who is monetized, for them to make money from it.
Hi
Please tell Barbara what the narrator says at the end of the video. I’m absolutely saddened by how this ended I had no idea until now & sadly I was only a baby when the store originally opened however I’ll always remember going to the London store in later years with my mum. She was definitely a Biba fan
I visited Biba in the early 70s, and there just aren`t words. It was an experience, and unlike anything I had ever seen before. I still think about it. The bad guys are always winning in this life. But artists have to create their art and it is a gift to all of us when they do.
Genuinely I could not be more jealous
That exhibit sounds fab! I recall in the 1960's and 1970's that some of the large department stores went all out creating little teen boutiques inside the huge store with bright colored backgrounds to match the garments, it was a great era to be a tiny teen size! Very fashionable mod items would go in sale at our local boutiques as they were too small for others! All my fishnets in so many colors, Wish I had been there! We had Mary Quant cosmetics in the boutique in my town in Alexandria, VA near DC. If there is a video of the museum show of the Biba exhibit please post it.
I visited BIBA in the mid 70s I had always wanted to go and was absolutely thrilled to be able to visit , I will never forget it it was Uber cool as were the people who shopped there😅 , I suppose for me it was a bit like visiting Disney land ( something I have never done ) only BIBA was all about fashion and style , it was exquisitely Decked out in A kind of 1920s boudoir style and as you said people used to go there just to hang out there was lots of window seating and occasional chairs and sofas ,predominantly black with lots of plums and purples in feathers which was very much in style at that time . I can still see it in my minds eye . I was a schoolgirl at this time and didn’t have much money but I was des to get something as a memento I was driven there by an older relative , and it was my first time in London . So we were at the mercy of the parking meter . I wound an art deco bottle of cologne . It was only then I noticed there were virtually no staff ,and no identifiable tills to pay and as was mentioned in the documentary people where just taking things . As there was no one to pay ,from memory I found a till but again unmanned being an innocent I remember being in tears ,as we had to go or risk a ticket . I had to leave my beautiful ornate cologne bottle . And tearfully leave the store . I lived in Scotland but had become aware of BIBA through press and media . Sadly very soon after my visit ,the whole company collapsed . For me it was like a sliding doors moment I am not elderly and still wonder how my life might have been different if I had actually. Even able to purchase my memento . How much cooler I might have been . I think I total I was only in the store for 15 -20 mins but the memory is still vivid I loved the doc and learned a lot I didn’t know . I often think the story would make a great British film . It was a tragedy that the BiBA brand
Collapsed ,and Barbara Holliniki and and husband deserve to be remembered , it was ultimately the men in suits who ruined the business in much the same way as middle management types in suits are ruining the country .thank you so very much ❤
What wonderful memories ...Buying my clothes on the Church street store you could match the fabric colour and material with hats, bags, tights, lipstick, eyeshadows etc. etc what an experience it was shopping at her store. When they moved to the high street I went to work for them on Saturdays where it was a privaledge to spend hours amongst the most creative and beautiful styles of everything!!!! Clothes, furniture, make up, accessories, mens wear, everyithing for your pet , it was a fairytale store and don't forget the increadable Rainbow room restaurant that felt like and looked like the 30's glamorous hollywood celebrity restaurants. She was way ahead of her times. You do not know what you missed if you did not see this store, I am l so proud to own a large selection of the clothes with her logo on them.
Wow how incredibly fortunate you were, but Im sure you know my question…what was the discount like???? 🤗
@@understitchYT there was a 30 or 35% discound, with the money I earned and the discount I was able to dress with clothes I felt were haute couturiere. the fabrics always were so flatering to majority of sizes.
❤❤❤❤ me too😊
I was lucky enough to live and work in Knightsbridge in the early 70s and would go down to Big Biba every week on my day off. Such great memories watching your video! I had some fabulous clothes from there..if only I still had them! I remember buying shocking pink tights with seams down the back which I wore with a black Jane Norman 1940s style suit and black suede wedge heels. Happy days!
I wonder if you met Anna Wintour when she worked there
I visited London in 1973, completely unaware of the Biba phenomenon. Stumbling upon the store because my youth hostel was nearby, I found myself skipping MANY of the major sites I had planned to see in order to maximize my time inside the utterly mesmerizing Big Biba. I recently returned for the exhibition and can only affirm that more than 50 years on, those magical first impressions remain.
Wow what an incredible story! And your choice was right, the tourist spots still exist but Biba was a once in a lifetime chance
Were you staying at the hostel in Holland Park?
I also visited biba in 1973 staying at that hostel 😂
I expect e everyone did!
@@grai I really don'y know -- I believe it was an old Victorian army barracks....
Even in sleepy 70s San Diego BIBA was my most powerful influence - I sewed all 4 of the McCall’s patterns and wore vintage clothes - and I still do!
No wayyy, you bought them?? Im so jelaous you got to have them. They sometimes come up on ebay but Ive never taken the plunge
@@understitchYT yes, and I didn’t manage to hold on to them! But, I’ve redrafted them and made several pieces - the BIBA l-shaped dart is tricky ! Any advice?
I KNOW😮😅😅..me too. I still have patterns...and use them from time to time...
@@MariaLopez-hc2nm wow! Any suggestions for the biba dart? Cool!
If only this was the only example of big British business being penny wise, pound foolish 🙄. To snuff out such a simple, remarkable, glamorous, naive, perfectly timed idea with global potential for he sake of a commercial building's asset value. A remarkable story from the time when Notting Hill / Kensington / Chelsea was affordable and open for experimental ideas. Its the most complete video of Biba I've ever seen, thank you!
I agree ao much. British Land really were stupid with the brand. They thought retailing was easy because everybody shops, when they clearly had not a clue and wasted away their most valuable acquisition. Really really stupid
She was SUCH an innovator!! I believe she truly changed the scape of fashion retail forever. I think many things that we consider normal now in fashion retail brands, were because of her. Currently I work as VM in a luxury fashion brand, and I can imagine how much fun it would have been to work at BIBA, by the looks of their interior and presentation.
I actually met Barbara years ago at Brighton Fashion Week, where she was being interviewed, I think maybe around 2010? We spoke briefly and she seemed like such a kind and genuinely down to earth person. I was only 16 at the time, but even at that young age, she treated me with such respect and even complimented my outfit which made me feel so honoured. I can imagine she saw me maybe as a would-have-been customer in her store. She is truly inspirational and I wish BIBA has survived, I can only imagine how incredible it would have been to have visited one of her stores.
This store is a VMs dream honestly. Now obviosuly Im a full time youtuber, but when I was studying retailing it was ALWAYS these brands that had me fascinated, their logistics paired with their VM paired with their desirability, unique design, following. Its so rare to get all of those things so right and all under the one name FOR A DECADE. Just incredible. Really biba is the fashion equivalent of one of the celebrities that passed at their height and get memorialised as who they were at the height of their fame, and thats brilliant. In a way they are luckh for that because so many brands live too long and become a shell of what they once were
A fascinating story. I'm a baby boomer so this video brings back many happy memories of fashion in the1960s. When I saw the footage of Barbara Hulanicki at 31:06 in an ankle-length satiny tapestry coat, my heart skipped a beat. I always wanted one of those upmarket Biba coats, and I still want one even now. Perhaps I should search vintage clothes online, I might get lucky!
Just to expand on your point about the teen market in the sixties -- we baby boomer teens had parents who had grown up in the Depression, and then endured rationing during the second world war. While those parents still managed to turn themselves out nicely, via make do and mend, most of the mums made their clothes themselves, and would budget to buy just one new frock and hat per year. This was the way they had learned to clothe themselves. By todays standards, the average older adult had a "minimalist" wardrobe, i.e. few items, and all carefully coordinated. We children were taught to expect to save up for months or years for items like a suit or an overcoat. So it was indeed revolutionary to find fashionable clothes which we could afford to buy on a basic wage.
There was one that literally just sold last month in Kerry Taylor Auctions in London! It was TINY so I didn't buy it, but as a collectors piece its fabulous!
And thats exactly what I've read about that transitional period, you can really understand why it felt so 'swinging' and free. And, to top that off, none of the clothes were badly made, just in natural materials, locally and at a slightly higher volume so prices were able to be lowered. Shame what has happened to that original idea now
@@understitchYT wow I'm in Australia so I did not know about Kerry Taylor auctions. I just looked them up and found the coat you mentioned. Not my colours - but what a find! the whole site is a treasure trove. I will definitely be going to that site again.
I remember the quality fabrics of that time too. In Sydney and Melbourne we had entire garment districts which are now gone, and I think there is now only one woollen knitting mill left in Australia, where there used to be so many. Gosh, every school uniform -- tunic or pants, blazer, cardigan or jumper -- used to be 100% wool. Now all our merino wool is shipped out to Italy to be manufactured into fabric, then we import it back again. Any garments still made in Australia are luxury lines only. I can see I'm very lucky to have experienced that era of fashion.
I had that same reaction when I saw that fabulous coat and black turtleneck! Glorious!
Several years ago- in an antique store - I found an empty glass BIBA shampoo bottle ! (Here in the USA). I paid $5.00 ! I collect vintage cosmetics and was so happy to have one !
wooooaaaahhhhh I would've died. The shampoo was sold fairly widely in the US, but even at that I'm sure it's still rare
Very interesting. But I really feel the need to have another video about Biba focused on her major contribution to fashion design and her ideal type of woman. Actually I have the feeling that her last ‘70s style was very similar to what Yves Saint-Laurent proposed in Paris at the beginning of 1971 with his very controversial collection called “Libération”. This collection was full of retro inspiration with much designs inspired by fashion in the ‘40s. In Biba’s early ‘70s designs I see the same retro inspiration which was also present in her cosmetics line which prompted the renaissance of “vamp” woman of the ‘20s and ‘30s. What Saint-Laurent and Biba respectively dud in Paris and in London in the same years was revolutionary in regard to the “functional” evolution of women’s fashion in the ‘60s which had simplified so much the silhouettes from Courreges to Mary Quant. Even the idea of the woman proposed by Saint-Laurent and Biba in 1971 was different from the emancipated modern woman of the ‘60s because she now wanted to reappropriate the art of seduction. So I really encourage you to do a second video about Barbara Hulanicki’s contribution to fashion design especially in the last years of Biba and her commitment with retro fashion which is evident since the Biba logo so reminiscent of Art Nouveau’s / Art Deco’s graphic style. This has also to do with the general rediscovery of the Art Deco in the early ‘70s and artists such as Tamara De Lempicka.
I had earmarked the sections about her actual design work for if this video did especially well as she had a namesake brand after Biba fell, which she set up in south america. Really interesting brand in general, but we will have to see if the Biba video does well first
I first heard about Biba from a youtube video by Lisa Eldrige (a British makeup artist) because she collects vintage makeup and had a number of Biba make up items. Seeing this video pop up just as I logged into youtube was so comforting. I'm going through a hard time right now with my mental health and your video essays never fail to lift my spirits and get me excited to learn even more from you.
More than anything I hope your hard time is short lived. We all go through those times, sometimes worse than others, but keep your chin up and you’ll grow through it. Even if its hard, you can make it 🤍
A real human voice! Excellent!
Everyone always thinks Im AI, so Im glad I have this comment to combat it haha
I thought it was AI
Thanks for the documentary. I lo e Biba, used to bunk off school, and go to the Ken Church St shop and try stuff on; nobody ever stopped us! I was walking passed when that store was closing to move to High Street Ken, and spent my whole wage packet on the clothes they were selling off.........When Big Biba closed it was really sad.
What I wouldnt give to bunk off school to go see a Biba store 😭😭
I don't think enough can be said about Sarah Moon's photography. and its place in the development of the BIBA look.
So pleased to have been living in London at that time!
I remember eating in the top floor Rainbow Room, having turkey and walnut en croute. It was fine dining on a young working person's salary. Adorable BIBA men took their adorable BIBA girls there for an elevated dining experience. If I had one reservation at the time, the staging in the grocery dept felt too much like a movie musical, and less like serious food shopping.
I still have the 2976 diary,turquoise tightts and make up. In the 70s igot the make up for between 5p and 25p an item on my local market. I still also have a badge and make up bag. My local chemist sold me the eyeshadow palette at£5. Still have it. I remember them selling again by post advertising in the teenage magazines. A denim jumpsuit took my eye but i never got round to buying it much to my regret and bought a copy at Chelsea Girl in 1977. Whittakers in Bolton sold Biba make up i ended up buying loads there including the nail polishes and perfume. My favourites. Were iba and Mary Quant which i still have too, though i never use them but cant be parted from them for the nostalgia part of my youth. Gill.😊
I could not be more jealous of your collection! I'm surprised you weren't contacted for the exhibition! haha. My parents told me so much about Chelsea Girl, I remember being a teenager and being mind blown that it became River Island so they told me all about it. Thank you so much for telling me the Biba stockist, weirdly that can be the hardest part of all of this to research, I guess just few take note of stockists outside of the company files
Biba’s eye shadow palette remains my all time favorite. The super-saturated colors made this palette special. Wish it was still obtainable.
@@Alx-jb5cuit was mine too and the mascara..
Speaking on the "inexpensive" fabric.... Fabric of that day is still 100% better than the inexpensive fabrics of today.... I am completely gobsmacked at some of the HORRIBLE FABRICS !! And of course it comes from "u know where".... I cant fathom how these "cheap fabric" manufacturers think that a person would put such "crap" on their bodies.....😮
the days of cotton and velvet were fab!
I'm starting to get allergic to polyerster😂😂😂
Polyester is terrible for the environment. It shreds down and enters the food chain through the washing machine water. We each consume a credit card size of plastic every single week.
The enchanting Ingrid Boulting was the "face" of Biba...... she is still beautiful today.
Biba had as much impact on culture as the Beatles and lasted around just as long. Edit: It's amazing what a couple of people achieved with such a great visionary at the helm. I like to make my own clothes and I'm really inspired by Barbara's designs.
I agree, a hugely important store that changed so much about culture. Must have been incredible to witness
I wore the fabulous and unique BIBA perfume in the early-med 70s. If I close my eyes I can smell the scent now.
I wish I could smell it
very sad watch. that store looked amazing and so personal :(
Wish it was still around
I concur, I knew the sad ending was inevitable but it was heartbreaking to see.
I was taken to Biba as a teenager, to the huge High St Kensington store. I bought two little pots of makeup, a lipstick called "Donkey Pink" and a mustard yellow eyeshadow. It was at the end, maybe the closing down sale. Everything looked dark, dusty and dirty, cavernous spaces and black paint. Wish I had been able to go when they were starting out. The designs of the little simple dresses featured in the video were genius.
What a special memory, Id do anything to get my hands on biba cosmetics
I had never heard of Biba until now. That store seems mystical; shame what happened to it 😕
Thank you for making this video! I don't know if you're an educator of any sorts, but you present things in depth while making it entertaining. I always look forward to your videos!
Im so glad you watched even though you didnt know the brand, and Im even more glad that you liked it 🥰🥰
I adored the store and the clothes. The store was absolutely amazing and nothing has really ever compared to it.
I am surprised to hear you say Biba dresses were cheap. I started work in 1965 earning £5 per week. I could never afford a Biba dress though I liked to visit the shop. I bought my clothes in Portobello market, Lord Kitchener's Valet much less expensive.
Yeah my friend Jennifer who visited also said she didnt really consider them cheap, but cheap only in vomparison to their competitors like Mary Quant over in TopShop
This was a beautiful tribute. I would think Ms. Hulanicki would be touched. I never heard of Biba before your video and I am so glad you introduced me to something new (to me). You put a lot of work and heart into this. It clearly shows.
A friend of hers has passed the video on to her, so maybe Ill find out what she thinks one day 🥰 Im so glad you enjoyed it and this was your introduction to the legendary store, and Im so glad my love of it shows through 🥰🤍
Just came here after watching the Haus Labs video. Two vids on one day? Damn
Treats for all 🥰
It's more than prolific....FIERCE 😄
I just went to the Biba Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Southwark! Very fitting to have a video to enhance that experience! Thank you!
Thats what inspired this video!
I wonder if whoever designed Hollister’s store experience was inspired by BIBA. It was a different vibe for sure, but it feels very reminiscent with the warm & low lighting, kind of shabby chic decor, signature scents sprayed throughout, and blaring indie pop music they’d have the CDs of by the registers.
I dont doubt Biba was an inspiration for sure. Literally every retailer Ive ever known adores Biba for its experiential marketing. My uni professor especially would just gush about the brand. Its impossible to miss if you have interest in retail honestly
I loved Biba, went there as a child with my sister. It wasn’t a huge store but it was iconic.
What a wonderful and sad story at the same time.
That department store looked absolutely amazing!
Thnx for another great video and greetings from Amsterdam! ❤
Im so glad you liked it martijn, in the words of the great K3 "ik ben en vis". Its unrelated, but its all the dutch I know outside the basics (mostly because I only realised many years after learning all the K3 songs as a kid that they sing in gobbledegook ahhaha
@@understitchYT K3, 😄😄
Biba was magical. Thank you Barbara ❤
I was lucky enough to be born at the right time to be a Biba Baby. I was dressed almost exclusively at Biba, my favourite item being my double-breasted claret velvet coat. I could have cried when I grew out of it (at around 7!). The Biba Store in Kensington was such an experience. I remember the Black Orchid bath oil that scented out the whole house when you used it. They even had a toy department. I was so sad when it closed. Never anything like it before or since.
The Toy department looks so incredible, that little barn and all of the mushrooms look insanely good, I would’ve loved that when I was a child. How lucky you were to not only have gone but to have had some of your clothes from there.
I bought a tee shirt a year or two ago, black with a gold Biba logo on it from QVC, i felt great wearing it but i felt so sad when some young people in my family laughed and said i didnt know you were a Justin Beiba fan, i realised it would take too long to explain, but now i can send them this! Thank you❤️
I still have my biba T shirt from that era. Lovely design.
Im in Mexico, and even if the age is right, i never heard about this store!!!.. Thanks for doing it, and im sure Barbara will love it!…
Im so glad you liked it 🥰 I dont know about Barbara, but one of her friends contacted me to say she loved it 🥰
@@understitchYT that is all we need to know!!!… Felicidades!!!🎉
I went to Biba twice, once in its heyday and again in 1974. The difference was stark as the quality of clothes in '74 had fallen way behind in order to compete with what cheaper shops were offering. In Biba there were many more items on the rail - in the mid '60s, you only saw a small number of a particular design out on the shop floor and the designs were never reordered. There was also a problem with the amount of fabric used in fashion - Biba usually used a lot of fabric in their lines, reflecting, for example, the fashion craze for longer outfits and matching topcoats. And accessories were comparatively expensive - hats were in vogue and cost as much as a dress. But what did for it IMO was other chains copied their work and sold much cheaper versions. However, it was a fab experience just visiting the store and I still have two brooches I bought there - a flock squirrel pin, and a green plastic rose swag.
I’m so jealous that you’ve got to go, but I’m more jealous that you still have the pieces
I love your comments on retail i totally agree that retail isn't easy. I run my own store and nuance is so important depending on what you are selling.
I’m glad that you find them in sight for, what kind of store do you run?
@@understitchYT I run a clothing store focusing on preloved upcycled and handmade fashion accessories and art. I have worked in retail for over 25 years though and seen many a place understand nuance and many not understand it.
This would make a superb movie!
I would pay to see it
This was wonderfully done! I really enjoy waking up on my weekends and watching your videos. Thouroughly done and well narrated! Well done!!
Makes me so happy, thank you 🥰
Sounds like the vulture capitalism playbook: Scrap the business, liquidate the assets. An unworthy ending for such a brilliant endeavor. Thanks for the analysis. It's a good reminder that in business there are always wily adversaries prowling for ways to jump into your game and take what they can.
Very much so, very vampiric behaviour from British Land really, nd then to sell it to a guy who thought he was buying a business with founder too smh
This was a GORGEOUS and highly informative documentary. Thank you so much for all your time + effort in making this. I truly hope Barbara and her family will come to see this. I have never heard of BIBA.......but now I know. What an incredible story!
A friend of hers told her to come and watch it, but as far as I know she hasn't actually seen it (though she has got a good excuse dw, I know she wants to see it)
I'm good friends with John Bishop, he took photos of Biba's store in Kensington. His images were featured in 19 magazine, they did a spread showcasing the store.
His photos feature here at 46:32-46:50 and 51:15-51:49 :)
Thats fantastic, what a great friend to have 🥰
I really love Biba everything was unmatched in its design. Great video.
Thank you so much 🥰
I knew Regis reasonably well who created the makeup look which came to be associated with Biba. And also Richard Sharah who was involved and went on to create some iconic looks for Bowie.
That’s fascinating! The New Zealand born, British Fashion/entertainment makeup artist/Cosmetics historian Lisa Eldridge would love to hear your stories on Instagram or her CZcams channel. She wrote a great book about the history of cosmetics from the present back to ancient times.
I'm quite the Bowie fan, what looks did he create for Bowie.
So glad you decided to do this video. I was familiar with Biba as I've read and watched a fair amount about the 60s but I've also learnt so much! It's incredible how innovative Biba was and the Big Biba store sounded amazing.
Im so glad you enjoyed it then, honestly, I would have adored to visit the store and I keep my hopes up that one day Dr Who will have a Biba episode. I dont really watch the show, but Id absolutely make an exception if they showed off that part of british cultural history (tho I suppose they cant now because the brand came back so it might be considered advertising)
Thank you for making the video. My boyfriend and I went shopping there towards the end in London. It was fabulous. I still have some of the dresses. Everything was so unique. I would’ve loved to have seen it in its prime, but I’m so thankful I did get to go there, I think it was 1977.
At this point, you’ve fully inspired me to return to creating content. If you can do these fully researched videos, surely I can make my beauty content again. Thanks for all you do!
What was your content about?
@@understitchYT Beauty from the male perspective who happens to be Black. Which lead to a career as an editor. But the work opportunities have dried up, so I need to go back to my original passion that got me here in the first place 🙏🏾
I think the lesson to be learned here is, don't be greedy, don't expand, the best things come in small packages, exclusive is better than big
Don’t expand if you don’t understand the value proposition of your business, I think that’s a pretty solid lesson
Quoting the ABBA guys;
"Nothing is so good it lasts eternally"...
One day we'll look back and think ;
"Wow, that's H&M" !
I tell people that about Disney, but its hard to really convince people because it seems so truly endless
I’ve only ever seen biba in the empty corner of house of fraser the clothing is nearly always on sale and I’ve never seen anyone buy let alone wear anything from the brand
Which is a real shame, thats literally the only iteration of Biba that Hulanicki talks remotely positively about
Your fashion documentary always made me emotional. The Biba style is so iconic, even for someone who didn't know the brand before. It's basically the embodiment of 70s aesthetic that I love. Their long list of innovation in business models made me think of how many brands are inspired by it today (sadly including the likes of Zara and Shein). Life sure is hard for entrepreneurs compared to investors who just see the numbers.
Im glad you liked the video, I think you may find tomorrows video interesting too 😘
In the early 70s, I purchased my first BIBA sewing pattern in Los Angeles, CA. I never heard of BIBA fabric, that would have been a wonderful pairing!! Love this content and your voice.
Youd think theyd have some kind of ad on the pattern really 🤷
Well done per usual❤ Oh snap! You got to 100K! Well deserved ❤
Yes!!!! Im so so happy about it! I havent been contacted for a plaque yet tho
Thank you I found your video fascinating throughout. I know nothing about running a department store or fashion but I was amazed by Barbara' and Stephen their passion and drive to fight against the odds. Good to hear that in the beginning they had friends who had contacts to rally around. A bygone age.
Im glad you enjoyed it! Honestly, Im always a little worried to mention when people begin their businesses through family or friends because that comes with a certain public stigma, but Im not really here to judge, just to report what is interesting. So many businesses start that way anyway
Thank you it was so interesting. I just wished it had worked out for them both so much. I loved her designs and her creativity. British land should have just left them alone. She is such a big influence in Japanese fashion.
I wish it did too. But at least we still remember it so fondly today. In a aay I see it like the retail version of. Rockstar that passed before their time because of the way that its remained loved and relevant because of the time of the death
Many thankyou’s 🙏🏼 for this in-depth & respectful documentary! I went to the Biba exhibition in Southwark a few months back with an impatient senior friend who actually had shopped at the big Biba store ,( sadly never kept any of the clothes )she raced through the exhibition and I really wanted to linger longer, although she did buy me the iconic logo mirror and postcard in the gift shop 👏🏼🤩 my older brother bought a cake tin & and container’s black with golden deer motifs for my mum from the food hall back in there heyday which I still have,although now quite rusty, I was only about seven at the time so have no memory or the south ken store, but I’ve always had a love for the colours & the glamorous look 💜🌟🕊
How lucky you were able to go to the actual store, but I am so sorry that your friend rushed you through the exhibition because it really is fantastic
I didn't visit Biba cos a I was just born. But when I moved to London I feel in love with the brand till today! Love it!!!!
Thank you for a wonderful presentation. I finally understand what happened to Biba! Also thank you for having pictures throughout, so much more entertaining than loads of highlighted quotes from books.
Oh thnk you for saying that about the editing. Honestly it hasn't affected my views almost at all, nor my watch time, but when asked people seem to like it more. I just hope I've built enough trust for people to know my videos are well researched so that I can use more pictures where possible
Thank you for this. Biba just seemed to hit so much right, the design point of view, the merchandising and marketing. If only they could have had financial partners who had the company”s best interests at heart.
I had to stop myself gushing about the store for hours because I just have so much to talk about. It was literally the perfect store at the perfect time run by the perfect couple. Just genius
I’ve been wanting a full video on Biba for so long💕 I’ve read the books several times but I love an in depth video
Im so glad you have that now 🥰🥰
I grew up in the Sixties in USA. Fascinating video. Thank you for posting.
Thank you for watching
the Biba store in Kensington was a joy to visit.
Im so jealous of everyone that got to see it
I used to work in Kensington Market next door, we used to go to Biba before they bought Derry and toms but when they opened the large store we went every lunchtime and marvel at all the decor and even saw bands in the evening in the rainbow rooms, Barbara was a genius, I loved the place, it broke my heart when it closed down
Wow that sounds so incredible! There’s whole chapters on the rainbow room in a couple of the books actually, it sounds like it was credible to be there, and potentially very expensive
I read Barbara Hulanicki's autobiography ("A To Biba") ages ago, and in the process learned how BL bought the trademark, the business, and all its assets. Except for one - the only one that mattered. And that was Barbara herself. (Actually, according to her account, the idiots really thought they'd "bought" her along with all the rest, and asked her when she'd be back to resume work!)
Shortly after Big Biba closed down I had the misfortune to encounter a cab driver who for some reason was still p****d off at how Derry & Toms had been made over, and was welcoming the demise of BB. I didn't bother arguing with the little turd. No point in trying to battle invincible ignorance.
It really is such a good book, Id recommend it to anyone
I'd heard the name Biba but knew very little about it but being a kid in Iceland in the 70's that look was certainly familiar so even in Iceland the Biba look had an influence.
Style and fashion always travels further than brands 🙌🙌
I’d love to see a Biba Cosmetics video on the underskin channel!! Great work!!
It’s on Patreon, I did ask the audience over there if they were interested, and it didn’t seem like they were, so it seems smarter to not release it
I reckon if they start up BIBA shops or online today it would be MASSIVE❤❤
There is one, its doing okay-ish, but itsowned by House of Fraser, not Barbara
@@understitchYT Oh dear! Just had a look! Not really Biba style!
As I was young, I loved the little Biba Boutique in our town in germany.
this brand fascinates me SO MUCH.
Omg same, so so much
In the early 200s when I was at college, there as a small selection of Biba cosmetics available at a chemist in the next town. it was a genuine surprise to see the Biba range as it was a clothing brand my mum talked about from her own teens.
You saw it in the textile museum or in house of fraser?
@@understitchYT it was the makeup range I saw in a local chemist, it was still for sale in the 200s.
oh I'm so excited about this video !!!!!
I hope you enjoyed it
My mother was very fond of the Rock Follies's Biba Nova. She lived in the UK through the latter part of the 60's...she remembered those clothes 🙂
Oh, what an exciting time
Brilliant video. I loved all that Barbara and Fitz accomplished. Heartbreaking end.
Im so glad you liked it and I could tell Barbara and Fitz story to get across how much of a shooting star it was
I was preteen in ‘70s so a little young to appreciate or know about Biba but individual fashion boutiques here in S Africa were definitely inspired by Barbara’s aesthetic. I remember beautiful tapestry coats in magazine spreads and also worn by gorgeous women. I still want one. And a velvet one 😆 This definitely gave me a blast from the past. Thank you ☺️
That’s actually kind of sick, the way that fashion disperses around the world is always really interesting
Biba was always too expensive for me. It got a lot of advertising, but I didn't see anyone wearing it.
What era are we talkign, because the current Biba has had some odd pricing imo
@@understitchYT it would have been 70s. I could only afford C&A and Chelsea Girl 😁
Both Biba and a shop called Bus Stop by Lee Bender were fabulous designs but they were never cheap.
I bought Biba jeans about 10 years ago as i find it really hard to get nice jeans and these are the best jeans ever!!So the label is still around and good quality!!
Yeah that’s owned by House of Fraser now, it’s a relaunched business, Barbara does talk about it in her book, but only extremely briefly
I'm a huge fan of 'Smashing Time'. I'm so pleased to know the tie-in with Biba. Thanks. :o)
It’s so 60s
Big Biba looked amazing! How sad! If only there was something similar to it today 😢
Honestly, I would love if something like that existed today, in Korea they have some really great experimental stores, like gentle monster, or Ader Error, but outside there’s so little
I recently bought BIBA towels and a BIBA toilet brush from house of fraser. I've always wondered about their history. Thank you for the video!
Im glad you got to learn it 🥰
I still have a plastic brooch I bought in Biba in 1974.
Jealous
Incredible in clothing and shopping innovation... also the fast fashion pipeline 😭
Totally agree
Thanks for this wonderful documentary! The picture of the era came very clear, and I enjoyed your humour („sown by adults“) 😊 I only miss a glimpse of Barbara, what did she do after that - and if she lost everything.
She moved to south america and started a namesake brand! She is still with us today 🥰
I remember meeting Barbara Hulanicki a few years ago, I was so starstruck 🌟
Wow how lucky!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!! I commented a couple of videos ago, requesting BIBA to be a topic of your videos. And now look! Amazing work again. Thank you
Tah dahhhh great suggestions make great videos
My sister worked at Biba, she was in charge of the “props”.
You mean the endless amounts of feathers and hat racks 🤣🤣
@@understitchYT and the fibreglass flamingos, the chaise lounges and giant flowers in the roof garden.
Granny Takes a Trip
So iconic
I remember seeing Biba clothes in second hand stores and the only place that I've seen so far that has a section of Biba clothing is a small store branch of House of Fraser. I'm not sure if the branch is selling the brand, because I haven't been there in over a year.
House of Fraser is still sellingBiba, but it’s nowhere near as interesting as the original store
Very well-researched as always. I always learn something from your videos. So sad what happened to the company.
Im glad you enjoyed the video, wouldnt it be great to have another store like Biba?
🇬🇧 I visited Biba when it was in Kensington Church St . I still have a Biba outfit.
I could not be more jealous
But I did miss going to the big store though @understitchYT
Incredible video (like always)!! This was such a wild ride, full of a twists and turns- it felt like a high fashion roller coaster!! I have a suggestion for your next video either the Rise and Fall of Micheal Kors of the Rise and Rise of Versace !!
Michae Kors actually would be such an interesting one. I may have to put that in my big brands file along with Versace only because for those videos I know they take many more weeks of reaearch to do them justice so they are spaced out to ensure quality
Brighton being “too far” when it’s only a 2 hours drive is SUCH a British problem.
I think its probably because they were working 9-8pm every single day, maybe except sundays when both potentially were close, there was just no time to go
No. If you are running a "start up" the boss has to have hands on in such a fast moving environment. The other stores were a few minutes from each other - for Brighton, two hours there and two hours back, the whole day is gone. Not a clever expansion.
Wow! I've never known about BIBA so this was a great video to have learned about it! If only shopping experiences could be like BIBA again. Shopping is so boring and business it seems just don't want to try anything.
Business doesn’t have the money to try something like this again, people aren’t shopping like they used to and it cuts down on the experience for all of us. In my opinion that’s because of a worse and wage disparity now and the fact that people just don’t have disposable income like they once did, but that’s a whole kettle of fish
Thank you for including the information on the film 'Smashing Time' it was a blast, I can now see where the character Austin Powers originated from. I really enjoyed your documentary; I always loved the BIBA aesthetic but had little knowledge of its history.
What a great video. My mum shopped at Biba so as I kid I k ew the store. Now 55yrs later it was fantastic to learn how it all started. So very sad to learn what happened but what great innovators these guys were, they really did change fashion & postal product selling. Fcuken men in suits eh! Such a shame. This (the BIBA name & logo) really was-is a British icon. Thanks for your video thoroughly enjoyed it
Oh how amazing your mum was so fashion forward! Has she still got any of her pieces? (And thank you, Im glad you liked the video)
another great, comprehensive video on an industry, that while I was aware of tangentially, never delved into - yet fascinates me now. So, from the JCrew video to here - and now sub'd - thanks!
In that case welcome! Im glad you enjoyed both videos so much. I try to be as comprehensive and factual as possible 🥰
Amazing video! Thank you ❤️
Thank you so much for watching
It was the most beautiful store ever. Never been bettered
I would love to have been
Thanks for this deep dive. I wouldn't read the book, so you've done me a favor. I recall the early 60's mod look fondly.
The non-autobiography books are great coffee table books, they have a lot of pictures I didnt include 🥰
I visited Biba with my parents in 1973/4 . I really wanted an Ostrich feather , that they were selling..
It was £1 as I remember ( a great-deal of money , in those days ) ! !
the question is, did you get it?
loved this video. fascinating. I always enjoy your videos. thanks for posting.
So glad you enjoyed it 🥰
that impromptu opening of the old chemist shop with the dress and the teens is epic.
And so purely based on instinct too, she really had the knack
@@understitchYT that was the epic part of it for me :)