Founders
She Couldn’t Stitch a Button but Built BIBA: Meena Bindra’s Story
Until she was 38, Meena Bindra had never stitched a button.
At 39, she was a housewife in Mumbai, married to a naval officer. Her days were full, but none of it was hers. She wanted something of her own. Pocket money, she called it.
She didn’t know it yet, but that small wish was the start of a brand. In 1988, she founded BIBA.
The ₹8,000 Decision
She took a loan of ₹8,000 from Syndicate Bank.
Then she did something most first-time founders never do: she held back. She spent only half of it. The ₹4,000 went on fabric, a tailor and a block printer.
With that, she made 40 salwar suits. Each one cost ₹100 to make and sold for ₹170.
All 40 sold out, mostly to friends. Her profit was ₹2,800. She repaid the loan within months.
A Brand With No Name
There was no label and no logo. People simply called them Mrs Bindra’s suits.
Then a Mumbai store called Benzer asked her to supply. Now the suits needed a name.
She chose a Punjabi word for “pretty woman”: BIBA. The brand’s mission became to merge traditional craftsmanship with contemporary style.
The Years of Supplying
For years, Biba stayed a supplier, a label on other people’s shelves. Shoppers Stop came on board, and the orders kept growing.
Then her biggest client made a demand: stop selling to everyone else, and design only for us.
The safe answer was yes.
She said no.
She chose freedom over her largest customer, and she rebuilt.
Her Own Door
In 2004, Biba opened its first store of its own, at Inorbit Mall, Malad.
In 1997, her son, Siddharth Bindra, had joined the family business. He is now its Managing Director.
Where It Stands Today
From a loan of ₹8,000, half of it left untouched, Biba has grown into:
330+ stores across 26 states
₹783 crore in revenue in FY25
One of India’s best-known ethnic wear brands, which has epitomized refined ethnic wear in India since 1988
In 2015, Meena Bindra received the APEX Lifetime Achievement Award, the premium award of the Indian apparel industry, given annually by the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India.
Today, she serves as the Chairperson of Biba.
She didn’t start with a business plan. She started with a wish for pocket money, and the courage to say no when saying yes was easier.
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