Bibi Russell; A Pioneer of Bangladeshi Fashion
Bibi
Russell is a Bangladeshi fashion designer
and former international model.
Bibi
was born in Chittagong, Bangladesh to Mokhlessur Rahman and Shamsun Nahar. She
grew up in Dhaka studying in Kamrunnessa Govt. Girls' High School. Later she
earned a graduate degree in fashion from London College of Fashion in 1975. In
the next five years, she worked as a model for different magazines including
Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar.[1] She also worked as a fashion model in fashion shows until
1994, working with Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo, Karl Lagerfeld and Giorgio
Armani.[1] Having returned to Bangladesh in 1994, Bibi opened Bibi
Productions, a fashion house, fusing indigenous Bengali cultural elements
into her line. As of 2004, her company employed 35,000 weavers in rural
Bangladesh.
With
assistance from UNESCO, Bibi organized her first European fashion show in Paris
in 1996. She also organized fashion show, The Colours of Bangladesh, in
Spain in 1997.[2]
Bibi
was rewarded Cross of Officer of the Order of Queen Isabella by the King
of Spain.[2] It was presented by Spanish Ambassador to Bangladesh,
Arturo Perez Martinez. Bibi is also a Fellow of Bangla Academy.[2] The Asiaweek magazine highlighted her as "One of the
20 people to watch in the Millennium". She was awarded the Honorary
Fellowship of the London Institute in 1999. UNESCO awarded her the title Designer
for Development in 1999. She also got the title of Artist for Peace
by the UNESCO in 2001 and the Peace Prize by the United Nations
Associations of Spain in 2004.
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