Today's women dress so badly because they all follow fashion, says founder of 60s label Biba

Barbara Hulanicki, 77, founded Biba in the 1960s and is still a consultant

She believes excessive interest in clothes makes women dress less well

Says high streets are saturated with shops selling near-identical clothes



Biba founder: Barbara Hulanicki thinks modern women dress badly - because following fashion makes them all look the same

She brought mini-skirts and psychedelic colours to 60s shoppers, used Twiggy as the face of her clothing range and founded a label that is still the red carpet choice of stars such as Jennifer Lopez.

But despite the influence she has had on the world of fashion, Barbara Hulanicki thinks modern women dress badly – because following fashion makes them all look the same.

The 77-year-old designer, who founded Biba in the 1960s and is still a consultant for retailers in both the US and UK, said: ‘There’s too much interest in clothes now and it makes women dress less well.



'I think people are too concerned about what’s fashionable. Women have such boring wardrobes these days because they must follow fashion, they must, they must. But sometimes it’s about saying, oh, this would work well with that.’

Miss Hulanicki, who last year was awarded an OBE for services to the fashion industry, acknowledged it is now harder to dress interestingly because high streets are saturated with shops selling near-identical clothes.



She said: ‘It’s very difficult to know what to wear now. That’s why I always wear black.’

Biba began as a cheaply priced mail-order business in 1963 before growing rapidly over the next decade and taking over a seven-floor department store.

Still popular: A Biba dress worn by Jennifer Lopez, left, in 2006. Right, Twiggy promotes Biba in 1972

Rock and film stars including Mick Jagger and David Bowie used to hang out in the store, which had promotional campaigns fronted by Twiggy.



Anna Wintour, who would go on to become the editor of American Vogue, began her fashion career working for Biba as a 15-year-old.

The brand re-launched in 2010, channelling its heritage by showing model Daisy Lowe in a 60s-inspired shoot.