Founder and designer, Barbara Bui
Barbara Bui
French, born 1956
Born in Paris to a Vietnamese father and a French mother, Bui studied literature at the Sorbonne. In the early 1980s she ran Kabuki, a boutique on rue de Turbigo selling her own work beside other young designers. She launched her own label with a Paris runway show in 1987, and the company was later listed on the Paris stock exchange.
Houses
Their runway, measured
80 looks in 2 showsNext to every runway we track, Barbara Bui's looks are darker, more muted, more neutral and more tonal.
Colours
- Black · 2.0× the average48%
- Charcoal · 1.4× the average18%
- Chocolate brown · 1.5× the average8%
- Grey6%
- Tan6%
- Beige / camel5%
- Ivory / cream5%
- White1%
Share of garment area across their looks; × is against every runway.
Colour and surface
- Lightness25/100darker · all runways 39/100
- Colour saturation7.4more muted · all runways 12.6
- Neutrals78%more neutral · all runways 60%
- Warm hues76%about average · all runways 70%
- Tonal looks55%more tonal · all runways 33%
- Colour-blockingΔE 20less colour-blocked · all runways ΔE 35
- Surface texture3.15smoother · all runways 5.06
- Sheen0.042more matte · all runways 0.065
What sets them apart
Shapes, fabrics and details they use far more often than other designers, with a glimpse of the looks: one from each collection that wore it most.
- Office / corporate4.5×Style
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Powerful3.7×Mood
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Pinstripe3.5×Pattern
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Blazer3.3×Garment
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Pumps / court shoes3.0×Footwear
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Hourglass / cinched waist2.8×Silhouette
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Belts2.4×Detail
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Tailoring2.4×Style
In 2 of their 2 collections
Silhouettes
- Inverted triangle / strong shoulder 35%1.9×
- High-rise 33%1.8×
- Oversized 31%
- Straight / tubular 29%
- Hourglass / cinched waist 28%2.8×
Materials
- Wool / tailoring cloth 60%2.0×
- Cotton / poplin 31%
- Leather 23%2.3×
- Silk / satin 23%
- Knit 10%49% less
Details
- Belts 46%2.4×
- Shoulder emphasis 39%2.1×
- Oversized collar 25%2.1×
- Utility pockets 23%1.6×
- Pleats 20%
Patterns
- Pinstripe 11%3.5×
- Check / plaid 11%2.1×
- Stripes 6%
- Floral 4%56% less
- Tie-dye 1%1.9×
Mood
- Elegant 76%1.8×
- Powerful 56%3.7×
- Relaxed 36%
- Austere 35%1.8×
- Edgy 25%1.6×
Era references
- 1970s 26%2.3×
- 1990s 18%2.3×
- 1980s 13%2.2×
From the AI tags on 80 of their looks. A designer is credited with a house's shows while they lead it; ×: how much more often than across all 25,892 measured looks.
Collection by collection
How their colours, surfaces and signatures moved from show to show, oldest firstHover a collection to read it; click its colours to open it.
Among designers
Barbara Bui against the 190 other designers with at least 40 measured looks · each dot is a designer, click one to open themMost alike, on every colour and surface measureMargaret Howell · Louise Trotter · Maria Grazia Chiuri · Daniella Kallmeyer
