Biba and Beyond: Barbara Hulanicki

This major fashion exhibition at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery celebrates all things Biba and Beyond! The Biba store, the clothes, the lifestyle and the far reaching influence of this iconic brand. The exhibition also looks at the life and times of the charismatic and talented woman behind the label, Barbara Hulanicki.  It also includes her successful earlier career in fashion illustration and her later achievements in interior design and architecture. 

After walking out of Biba in the mid-1970s following the brand’s corporate takeover, Barbara Hulanicki went on to work successfully in fashion in South America, Europe and Japan. In 2012 she is now an award winning and high profile interior designer working on major projects in the US and Caribbean. In the past few years Barbara’s career has come full circle with hugely successful affordable fashion projects in the UK for TopShop and George at Asda. 

With its cutting edge yet affordable fashion, Barbara Hulanicki’s iconic Biba store and label transformed the High Street shopping experience in the 1960s and 70s. Young working women shopped alongside models and celebrities, including Twiggy, Cher and the Rolling Stones. Art Deco, Victorian and Hollywood glamour all combined in striking, romantic and sensual designs. 

With loans from major collectors and private individuals the exhibition tells the amazing story through illustrations, film, fashion, music, photography, ephemera and the memories and reminiscences of those who shared the experience. There will also be items on display from the very successful ‘bring in your Biba’ day at Brighton Museum.  Contributors were asked to bring in their Biba items and memories from the London and Brighton stores.