Assignment on:

“Bibi Russell”

Course Title: Entrepreneurship

Course Code: FNB 404

Submitted to:
MD. YOUSUF HARUN
Assistant Professor
Department of Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University

Submitted by:
FARJANA HOSSAIN
Department of Finance & Banking
ID No. 1348
BBA Program

Submission Date: May 17, 2018

Jahangirnagar University
Savar, Dhaka-1342
 Bibi Russell, Founder, Bibi Productions

BiBi Russell is the founder of ‘Bibi Productions’-a world renowned fashion house working
with crafts people in Bangladesh. Bibi was born in Chittagong, Bangladesh. She grew up in
Dhaka studying in Kamrunnessa Govt. Girls’ High School and Home Economics College. Later
she went to London and earned a graduate degree in fashion from London College of Fashion. In
the next few years, Bibi worked as a fashion model with different prestigious organizations and
talented people.

In 1994 BiBi returned to Bangladesh and opened Bibi Productions in the year of 1995, a fashion
house, fusing indigenous Bengali cultural elements into her line. With BiBi Productions she first
claimed the much cited slogan ‘Fashion for Development’. Then on Bibi has been working with
crafts people with a vision to save crafts and revive their dream.

Bibi works with and for crafts people. Her aim is to save and revive crafts and help crafts people
to live better life. She believes in positive Bangladesh. Whatever she do she keeps that in mind.
She believe fashion can be used for social and economic development. Fashion, for her, is a
cultural identity, a necessity. In todays world no one can go naked. One needs a piece of cloth to
cover his pride. This holds a very fundamental truth that fashion is a part and parcel of social and
economic development which opens up many doors of opportunities for them.

As she works for and with crafts people and whatever she do she makes sure that it’s a
sustainable income for the people involved. She want to ensure better livelihood for crafts people
and education and health for their children.

Problem faced-

At the beginning of my journey she spent 99.9% of my time in village. So, she did not face any
problem because of her gender identity. For first one year she tried to be close to them. It took
her one year to make crafts people understand that she is there for them, to give people the
confidence. So, it was a lot easier in-terms of gender issue.

If she was in the Dhaka and going to banks, she would never go to bank because she have bad
experience, and going around with these people then might be she would have lots of problems.

She started Bibi Productions back in 1995. She knows the struggle. Only thing which surprises
her is, if she knew, it took her many years to make her name, Bibi, familiar to the world. She
thought with that she would get lot of support in Bangladesh, especially, from Banks,
Cooperates, but she did not.
She did exhibitions in Paris and other countries. She did not do that with her own money. She
have sponsors and patrons. But she never did an exhibition in Bangladesh. Because she thinks
why do she spend her own money to show my work to her own people? She have better things to
do with her money. There are sponsors who want to sponsor her work in India, Srilanka,
Cambodia and so on. That surprises her how come the rich society, Banks and educated society
don’t support her here in her own country. They are giving crorer loan; of course they would not
give her because I work with poor people and banks don’t bank on poor.

The company “BiBi Productions”-

In 1996 she founded the company "Bibi Productions" at Road 27, Dhanmondi, in Dhaka, the
capital of Bangladesh.

This is where her first collection was made, which she presented in Paris under the patronage of
the UNESCO in 1996: An explosion of colours right in the middle of the grey-black minimalism
of those years. The UNESCO honoured her work and declared her one of their ambassadors.

When Bibi Russell was invited to open the Fashion Week in London with her collection in 1998,
she appeared to have broken through into the international market. While the preparations for the
Fashion Show were at their peak in London, news reached her that Bangladesh was suffering one
of the worst floods in its history. Of the approx. 120 million inhabitants, around 20 percent had
become homeless. This was a gigantic catastrophe which affected almost all the weavers
working for Bibi Russell. Their hand-woven silk materials were rotting in the floodwaters.

The designs that Bibi had presented in London so successfully could not now be produced. This
was a severe setback, not only from economic standpoints. Instead of the large orders she had
hoped for, she was faced with the possible fears of the Europeans that business with developing
countries could be too risky due to the incalculable nature of environmental influences and
political conditions making business partners unreliable.

After the flood disaster, Bibi Russell had to start at the beginning again. Instead of helping the
weavers from almost all the regions of her country to achieve the breakthrough into the
international market, she had to put her money into saving her highly specialised suppliers. It
simply was not enough, so she founded the charity "Save the Weavers" which has been
collecting donations since then to relieve the situation of the weavers and keep the traditional
craft alive.

It took one and a half years until the business got off the ground again. She has achieved her
dream of making hand-woven textiles from Bangladesh into a desirable export article providing
work and income for thousands in her home country despite all the difficulties. The textiles
produced by Bengali hand weavers today are suitable for European Haute Couture or for
covering Italian designer furniture. She sells her textiles and her own collections in England,
Spain and France.

As a fashion designer, Bibi Russell is one of the most significant earners of foreign exchange in
her country today. For the last 10 years, her collection has been produced exclusively in
Bangladesh and this has created jobs in one of the poorest countries of the world - and not only
for seamstresses.

Her creative talent and her social work have led various awards to the fashion designer, such as
the "Freedom Award" and the United Nations Peace Prize. With the presentation and the sale of
her designs in Paris, London or Düsseldorf she provides around 100,000 Bangladeshis with
work, self-esteem and a perspective for the future.

With the reactions to her work, she has opened the eyes of the government to the huge potential
of creativity and jobs that this support of the weavers has released. The key to the development
of Bangladesh lies in the strengthening of the village economy, the traditional craft of the
weavers, on which alone at least five million people depend.

If the government of Bangladesh is to prevent this additional poverty, it must lay more emphasis
on quality in the growth of textile production, the most important export trade of the country.
High-quality textiles make production and export more efficient. Bibi Russell and the Bengali
hand weavers have shown how successful this concept can be in a very impressive manner.

Product-
Bibi Productions is a charming store, which houses pieces designed by Bibi Russell. The entire
outlet is a collection of motifs, colors and elements of Bengali culture — paintings along the
sides of a truck or old-school autos/rickshaws, Bengali cinema posters or ragged dolls from the
rural areas, which many of us take for granted.
Russell set up Bibi Productions originally in 1996 to promote Bangladeshi textiles in the
international market and her designs are reflective of Bangladesh’s rich cultural heritage. Using
fashion as a tool for economic development in the rural areas has always been the aim of this
social enterprise.

Economic development-

Bibi Productions has provided a livelihood to over 30,000 weavers all over Bangladesh, and
seeks to employ many more over a wider area. However, its aspirations to touch aspects of life
other than simple economic emancipation are reflected in its recent line of pieces made out of
recycled materials. Boxes made of bamboo and newspaper, old chips’ packets and posters, etc.
are some examples. Another way Bibi Productions is working for development is by maturing
the fashion culture of Bangladesh in general. Bibi Russell’s work has put Bangladesh and its
heritage on the international map.

Managing team-
She always tell her team that, the most excellent team anybody can ever have, don’t think they
have achieved everything, there are much better job to be done. They are always on run to make
things better.

My opinion-
A very graceful, humble and modest Bibi has gained endless awards, respect and recognition for
her achievements. Her creative talent and her social work have led various awards to the fashion
designer, such as the ‘Freedom Award’ and the United Nations Peace Prize not long ago. For
many years, her collections have been produced exclusively in Bangladesh and this has created
jobs in one of the poorest countries of the world.

So, Business in the form of personal satisfaction, financial gain, stability and enjoyment will be
the sum of what put into one’s business. So if an Entrepreneur don’t enjoy what she’s doing, in
all likelihood it's safe to assume that will be reflected in the success of her business - or
subsequent lack of success. In fact, if she don't enjoy what she’s doing, chances are she won't
succeed.