Remembering Bim Bissell, ‘tireless promoter and patron’ of FabIndia
The Hindu
Bimla 'Bim' Bissell, the visionary behind FabIndia, remembered for redefining Indian textiles with modern aesthetics.
Few redefined traditional Indian textile aesthetics in the vocabulary of the modern quite like Bimla 'Bim' Bissell, the visionary revivalist and the driving force behind the crafts-rooted 'everything Indian' brand FabIndia.
On Friday (January 10, 2025), her friends, contemporaries and the brand she propelled to greater heights remembered the dynamic woman who was so much part of Delhi and its social fabric. Bissell died in New Delhi on Thursday (January 9, 2025). She was 93.
Fondly called Bim by everyone who knew her, she helped her husband and FabIndia founder John Bissell establish the brand in 1960 as a company exporting home furnishing.
Over the decades, FabIndia expanded to include garments, furniture, food, personal care products and even jewellery, becoming the go-to destination for many. Her sensibilities in fashion, textile and design flowed through the brand’s wide range of products.
“She loved matching everything, from her accessories to her chappals. A spirited promoter and patron of Fabindia ever since her husband, John, brought his vision of working with India’s craftspeople to life,” FabIndia wrote in a post on Instagram.
It was Bim who expanded John’s vision by collaborating with Indian artisans and craftspeople to make ethnic clothing steeped in modernity.
Jaya Jaitly, founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti, remembered her friend as the anchor and aesthetic that inspired John Bissell.
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