George at Asda has revealed the first picture of its range created by Biba founder Barbara Hulanicki and set a November 14 launch date for the first collection.
Hulanicki is to rival House of Fraser’s relaunched Biba collection by producing a low-priced fast fashion alternative for George at Asda.
The supermarket today confirmed the womenswear range will be called “Barbara Hulanicki for George” and will include jersey trousers, wide palazzo pants, ruffled blouses, printed tunic tops and mini and maxi dresses for between £8 and £25. A total of five collections are planned and the first collection will comprise 14 pieces.
Asda said it would “capture Barbara’s distinct style” with exclusive prints such as animal print and metallic stripes, to be used across everything from chiffon and knitwear, and that it would appeal to “mothers and daughters alike”.
Last week, Hulanicki claimed that the Biba range launched by department store chain House of Fraser - which bought the brand in November last year - is “too expensive” and does not capture the iconic Biba style of the sixties and seventies.
She added today: “Everyone should be able to enjoy fashion, and so supermarket shopping is the future. You can buy something, and then hide it from your husband in the fridge.
“When I launched Biba the philosophy was to make fashion affordable – this is exactly what George stands for. It’s a match made in heaven.”
George brand director Fiona Lambert added: “Barbara is an amazing iconic British designer with such a unique handwriting and passion for detail. She has been extremely hands on throughout the entire process which has meant we have so much of that Barbara Hulanicki signature style coming through in the shapes and designs.”
Drapers revealed last month that George at Asda would launch its first designer collaboration with the launch of a range by Savile Row trained tailor Charlie Allen on October 24.
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