Welcome to Big Biba

Indulge in 1970s design nostalgia with Steven Thomas, design director of Whitmore-Thomas, the creators of Big Biba.

In this illustrated talk, Thomas will discuss the design process which led to the “The Most Beautiful Store in the World" (The Sunday Times).Thomas enrolled at Chelsea School of Art as a painter in 1962 where tutors John Hoyland, Patrick Caulfield and Allen Jones were early influences.

He began using his art school skills working on design commissions from the music industry and so began Whitmore-Thomas, the design group he formed with Tim Whitmore, another painter from Chelsea.

One of their first clients, in 1968, was Biba, the iconic boutique in Kensington, founded by Barbara Hulanicki, for whom they created interior and graphic designs including those for all of the Big Biba project.Tickets £15 (includes entry to The Biba Story: 1964–1975)