Beehives and Biba: 60s fashion comes out swinging in 2024
Barbara Streisand once shopped there, Jimi Hendrix was a customer, and John Lennon’s white limo would sometimes pull up outside. Salman Rushdie called it his “60s education in cool”.
Granny Takes a Trip, the King’s Road boutique that opened in London in 1966 and became a countercultural hangout, is relaunching with a little help from the Rolling Stones.
Rushdie has written how “to the assorted heads and freaks who hung out there, it was the Mecca, the Olympus, the Kathmandu of hippy chic”.
Inspired by the irreverent spirit of the original, the 2024 digital iteration will work only with second hand clothing and dead stock fabrics. Looking to the brand’s musical roots, excess clothing from the musical merchandising industry will be transformed into limited edition garments.
The retailer’s chief executive, Marlot te Kiefte, hopes to evoke a similar mood as the original and inspire people to “take a step back and appreciate fashion”. She draws a parallel between the 2020s and the 1960s, with widespread political upheaval, a rise in collectivism, as well as an interest in wellbeing, spirituality and psychedelics.
The relaunch comes amid a wider resurgence of 60s culture and fashion. There is a revival of shrunken polo shirts, shift-dress shapes, spacey metallics and short hemlines.
So, beehives are taking centre stage. While in London, a show celebrating all things Biba opened last month at the Fashion and Textile Museum. Founded in 1964, it was one of the world’s first lifestyle brands.
The 60s have come out swinging in high fashion too. At Celine, Twiggy acted as muse for the shift dresses and miniskirts.
The mood seems to be rubbing off on younger generations – on the secondhand site Depop, a favourite with gen Z, searches for miniskirts are up 30%, baker-boy hats by 17% and leopard print by 235%. Polo necks are also trending.
On Pinterest, searches for Biba are up 65% and searches for 60s styles, 60s outfits and shift dresses have risen by 30%. The number of people looking for leopard-print outfit inspiration has increased sevenfold.
What is behind the 60s resurgence? Fashion and the wider world is in a period of upheaval and, perhaps seeking comfort, is in an increasingly nostalgic mood.
The recent deaths of 60s style leaders may also be affecting the mood. Having made miniskirts fashionable, Mary Quant, who died at 93, catalysing a moment of remembrance and celebration of her mark on fashion.
In 2024, a financially strained time in the UK, when “we’re not socialising, not working and not having fun”, the 60s may be particularly appealing. “[Looking back] through rose-tinted glasses, [people] were social, clubs [were] starting, [people were] out and about, exploring new things, [it was] possible … to have fun on little money.”
