Barbara Hulanicki: The Brighton Biba show, and Hurricane Isaac

Barbara Hulanicki.
Visit her website here

I do hope that Miami resident Barbara Hulanicki survived Hurricane Isaac - I hear a rumour she bravely stayed at home despite attempts to shoe-horn her out to safer climes, while other ever-greens outside (OK, trees) gave their best Exorcist impressions. She'd better have survived because she's scheduled to head to Britain shortly for the 'Biba and Beyond: Barbara Hulanicki' exhibition in Brighton, which starts September 22 and runs through to April 14, 2013. Details here.

In the 60s Hulanicki founded the seminal Biba store which helped revolutionise fashion and style. By the mid-70s, what had started as a mail-order business had metamorphosed into a vast departmental store in the old Derry & Toms building in South Ken, drawing a million 'post-war baby' shoppers a week, as well as stalwart style queens like David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithful. 

Biba: The Musical (2009) gives an endearing flavour of Biba-world, even if not countenanced by her - watch the video below. Hulanicki explains how the past inspired her creative work in this fascinating 'My V&A' video, here.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Barbara on two occasions - at the launch of a film about her at Kensington Roof Gardens and then at Molly Parkin's 80th at the Chelsea Arts Club in February. Behind her huge shades she's quite an enigma - I was quite convinced she's Scorpio; but Google says Sagittarius. 

Incidentally, she is not connected to the reincarnated Biba; and now designs for, among others, George, Asda - click here to see her collections.