Bibi Russell was born in Chittagong Bangladesh. She grew up in Dhaka and studied in Kamrunnessa Govt High School and then College of Home Economics, Azimpur, Dhaka. In 1975 she joined the London College of Fashion. In the next 5 years she worked as a model for different magazines including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Marie Clare and Harper’s Bazaar. She also worked as a fashion model in fashion shows until 1994, with Yves Saint Laurent , Kenzo, Karl lagerfeld and Giorgio Armani. She returned to her home country, Bangladesh in 1994 to open BibiProductions, a fashion house, fusing indigenous Bengali cultural elements into her line. Her slogan was Fashion for Development. As of 2004 , her company employed 35000 weavers of Bangladesh.

 

Bibi Productions is a brand which has allowed the revival of the age-old heritage of Bengal weaving. In 1996, the first ready-to-wear collection, Weavers of Bangladesh, UNESCO headquarters, Paris was launched.UNESCO supported several shows in Europe, including London Fashion Week. The brand has provided work for thousands of weavers and artisans. Development of handloom fabrics with colours that are non-chemically produced and making the whole process environment friendly.

 

A true humanitarian at heart, Bibi Rusell also strives in her diligent pursuit of easing the burden of street children. “Öur World, our future lies in the hands of the next generation.”says the confident designer. “Be it poor or well fed, they are tomorrow’s leader. I have taken it on myself to teach them to be self-sufficient young people and to encourage self employment. It is my dream to watch these children blossom into strong, confident young individuals the world can lean on”. 

She is a person who believes fashion can be used for social economic development and for a positive movement. “I want people to appreciate the work and effort gone into my productions. I want to preserve the heritage of my country, foster creativity, provide employment, empower women and contribute towards the eradication of poverty”.