Barbara Hulanicki

Who is Barbara Hulanicki?

Barbara Hulanicki OBE is a Warsaw-born fashion designer, known for being the founder of the iconic clothes store Biba.

Born in Warsaw, to Polish parents. Her father was assassinated by the Stern Gang in Jerusalem in 1948 and the family moved to Brighton, England. After studying at Brighton School of Art, now the University of Brighton Faculty of Arts, Hulanicki won a London Evening Standard competition for beachwear in 1955. She began her career in fashion as a freelance fashion illustrator, working for various magazines, including Vogue, Tatler and Women's Wear Daily.

Hulanicki sold her first designs through a small mail-order business, featured in the fashion columns of newspapers such as the Daily Mirror.

In 1964 she opened her Biba shop in Kensington, with the help of her late husband, Stephen Fitz-Simon. The shop soon became famous for its stylishly decadent atmosphere and lavish decor inspired by Art Nouveau and Art Deco. It became a hangout for artists, film stars and rock musicians, including Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Marianne Faithfull and Cathy McGowan, presenter of Ready Steady Go!. In the shop affordable mini-skirts, floppy felt hats, feather boas, velvet trouser suits and unisex t-shirts dyed in rich, muted colors were bought by a young clientele. Anna Wintour started in fashion as a Biba employee. Biba finally closed its doors in 1976.