A BIOGRAPHY OF BIBI RUSSEL

Bibi is 5’10” tall and began modeling in 1976. She dominated as a top model in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Cosmopolitan magazines from 1986 to 1992.

Bibi modeled for practically all well-known brands, including Kodak, Channel, BMW, Toyota, Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Giorgio Armani, and others, and walked the runway alongside nearly all of the world’s best models, including Naomi, Claudia, and others.

The supermodel for the top designers in the 1980s returned to Dhaka in 1990 to realize a long-held desire to develop an international reputation for locally produced textiles by promoting traditional Bangladeshi materials, Khadi and Jamdani, with the help of small loans from Grameen Bank,. Her unique ideas are being produced by 30,000 individuals, including knitters and craftspeople.

Bibi Russel has been appointed “UNESCO Special Envoy: “Designer for Development” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Bibi Russel’s dedication to the welfare of Bangladeshi weavers and her promotion of traditional crafts in the cause of human dignity, development, and poverty eradication was recognized by UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor, who announced the name in recognition of Bibi Russel’s commitment to the welfare of Bangladeshi weavers and her devotion to the promotion of traditional crafts in the cause of human dignity, development, and eradication of poverty.

Russell returned to Bangladesh in 1994 and founded Bibi Productions, a fashion brand that incorporated local Bengali cultural themes into her designs. Her enterprise employed 35,000 weavers in rural Bangladesh as of 2004.

Bibi made her US debut at the State of the World Forum’s closing ceremonies in November 1998, a six-day meeting of activists and global decision-makers. At the San Francisco presentation, young Bangladeshi models walked to folk music and ghazals in front of a backdrop covered in handloomed Bangla silk sarees. Sporty ensembles included hooded silk shirts worn over khadi-inspired slacks, while fanciful village outfits included flowing skirts knotted with yards of multi-textured silk. The crowd erupted in applause and gasps when a white bridal gown was displayed with stylized Hindu wedding attire and a sheer veil cleverly fastened at the shoulders.

Bibi was also the subject of Uttam Kumar Ghosh’s documentary, Bibi’s World, which premiered at the Alliance Française in 2002. Ghosh has centered the 45-minute documentary on Bibi’s life and profession, as well as the issues that the country’s weavers are now facing. Professor Anisur Rahman, actress Nazma Anwar, author Selina Hossain, Bibi’s mother Begum Shamsunnahar Rahman, French ambassador to Bangladesh Michel Lummaux, and weaver MontuBasak from Tangail are among those interviewed in the film. ‘Bibi is a known character in the world fashion scene, and she has been honored by UNESCO,’ Ghosh remarked later in an interview. Mine is the first documentary on her life and work ever filmed. It was a struggle for me. To save money for the trip, I sold my paintings.