The upcoming exhibition at Dovecot Studios will be a trip down memory lane for Edinburgh fashionistas, who are invited to “Bring Oot Your Biba” when visiting.
The company grew from a mail-order company with a print catalogue into the world’s first lifestyle label. Founder Barbara Hulanicki will visit for a special book signing event, and there will be preview talks, history of fashion events and a retail showcase. With a pop up store in Jenners for a time Dovecot believes there will be shoppers in the capital who still have some Biba garments in their wardrobes.
Hulanicki established the company in 1963, selling affordable fashion to a new generation of young women. The Biba Story exhibition will concentrate on 1964 to 1975 when retail grew from a boutique to the Big Biba department store in London.
Heather Carroll, Dovecot’s Exhibitions Manager, said: “The Biba Story: 1964–1975 is the only exhibition that looks at the history of Biba. Dovecot is excited to have the opportunity to display these fantastic archival pieces of clothing, original photographs, and material all of which have been personally chosen by Barbara Hulanicki and to interpret them for new audiences.”
From the first simple shift dresses, to the glamorous devoré wraps, sequinned bodices, leopard print coats, trouser suits, floppy hats and feather boas that came to epitomise the Biba look. The exhibition will chart Biba’s meteoric rise to fame from a mail order catalogue in 1963, to a seven-storey department store on Kensington High Street and the world’s first lifestyle label, to its demise in 1975.
Under its legendary founder Barbara Hulanicki, it was a phenomenon that has never been replicated. Lasting just over 10 years, it remains influentialand interest in this cult fashion and lifestyle label has never waned.
Barbara Hulanicki was born in Poland in 1936. The family moved to Palestine for her father’s work where they lived until her father was murdered, alongside a Polish journalist, in 1947. The family re-located to England, settling in Hove.
She attended Brighton Art College (now University of Brighton) where she studied fashion and art, becoming a pre-eminent fashion illustrator in the late 1950s and early 1960s. She established Biba in 1963 and on its closure in 1975 she, with her husband and son, moved to Brazil where she established the Barbara Hulanicki label.
The family moved to America in the mid-eighties settling in Miami, where Barbara began her career as an interior designer, working on hotels owned by record boss Chris Blackwell. She continues to live and work in Miami. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, most recently being given the keys to Miami city for her contribution to the renewal of Miami through her interior design work.
Never before had a company brought affordable fashion to the youth market, whilst simultaneously instigating innovations in retailing which are still with us even now.
Bring Oot Your Biba
Dovecot is running the Bring Oot Your Biba campaign to encourage local people to share photos and stories of their Biba experiences and garments to create an online archive and celebrate the legacy of this iconic brand.
A spokesperson said: “We want to hear from people who came of age with Biba, visited the store, sported the Biba-style at work and who might even have bought the Biba baked beans. Details of how you can take part can be found on the website https://dovecotstudios.com/news/bring-oot-your-biba.”
- Tickets for The Biba Story: 1964–1975 are now on sale and can be booked at https://dovecotstudios.com/exhibitions/the-biba-story
- Exhibition Details:
- Title: The Biba Story: 1964–1975
- Venue: Dovecot Studios, 10 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LT
- Dates: 6February–27 June 2026
- Gallery Hours: 10:00–17:00, Monday–Saturday
- Admission: £12.50/£10.50
