House of Fraser announce Biba relaunch

Following a 2006 relaunch that saw Bella Freud designing a high end collection which showed at London Fashion Week to a lacklustre reception, the brand is to return to its high street roots, with a Biba concession to open in 61 House of Fraser stores nationwide by Spring.

House of Fraser will look to return the brand, which originally achieved success as one of the few places young women in the sixties could replicate designer looks on a budget, to its principles of faster, more thrifty fashion; summed up by Chief Executive John King as "fashionable clothing at an affordable price".

With Daisy Lowe as face of the brand, and a starting price of around £35, the label is certainly set to reach a wider audience via the high street chain. Whether Barbara Hulanicki, who saw the label take over an entire Kensington department store in 1974, and who patented a whole Biba aesthetic and lifestyle, will be pleased to see the brand sit under the House of Fraser umbrella, remains to be seen. The chain has pledged to invest in distinctive Biba shop fits for the concessions, with brushed gold tiles and logo in ten in-store flagships, and a comparable "ethos of glamour and luxury".