Biba

Biba dominated London fashion from the mid-1960s, and, for over a decade, it defined the dress and outlook of a generation. Celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of the opening of the first Biba boutique, this book takes a revealing look at Biba through the words and images of the people who were intimately involved with the company and its phenomenal success. Established in 1963 as Biba Postal Boutique ¿ a small mail-order company selling inexpensive clothing for women and children ¿ by 1973 Biba was a seven-storey department store on London¿s Kensington High Street. Customers could fill their wardrobes and furnish their home with Biba products; Biba had become the world¿s first lifestyle label. Visitors to the store could buy a tin of Biba baked beans, take tea on Europe¿s largest roof garden or watch live music from The New York Doll¿s, Iggy Pop or Liberace in the 500-seat Rainbow Room. Created by Barbara Hulanicki and her husband, Fitz, Biba was made in the image of its staff and cu