Watch haute couture amid the haystacks

This is the first London collection to emerge from the villages of Bangladesh. One million people depend on weaving these glamorous silks and cottons for their livelihood.

But the spread of cheap machine-made fabrics has threatened their traditional skills.

And if that were not enough, now many weavers have been left destitute by the worst floods this century.

They are putting their faith in former fashion model turned designer Bibi Russell, hoping she will rescue them by promoting their craft abroad.

Hand-made Asian chic on parade

"Everyone thinks Bangladesh is a poor country," said Bibi. "For a creative person - for me - it's rich in culture and everything. So it gives me a lot of energy _ I live in Bangladesh. Most of the time I'm in villages and I'm competing with top designers."

Bibi's dresses may be the height of fashion but the technology that produced them is centuries old.

It all starts with silk cocoons which are laboriously unravelled into shimmering thread. Spinning, twisting and dyeing provides employment for the whole family.

Bibi Russell boasts that everything in her collection is environmentally friendly and hand-made.

New hope for destitute weavers

It's not easy ensuring only natural dyes are used and a consistent standard is produced.

If just one thread snaps the quality drops so even a ceiling fan is not allowed in the weaving room.

Bibi Russell calls her label Fashion for Development. She hopes to help tackle the terrible poverty of rural Bangladesh made worse by this year's floods which covered two-thirds of the country.

"I have to think a lot to do my designing because I'm not using stretch materials, jersey materials, chiffon, velvet or any machine-made fabric," said Bibi.

Bibi: inspired by a rich culture

Few weaving communities escaped this latest natural disaster, including master craftsmen who produced a special range of Jamdani cloth for Bibi's show.

It is a mixture of weaving and knotted embroidery which results in the most sophisticated and expensive silk sari in Asia.

The craft dates back to the Mughal period passed down from generation to generation.

Jamdani silk - the most expensive in Asia

Two hundred years ago, fine muslin went from Dakar to the fashionable ladies of London. Once again handloom fabric is making its way to the catwalks of Europe from the villages of Bangladesh.

This is the first time a designer from a developing country has been asked to open the London fashion show.

The hope is this collection will not just set a passing trend but create an interest in hand-made fabrics bringing prosperity to their creators.

At a time when the country is reeling from the effects of devastating floods, it's all the more important that Bibi Russell's fashion label does really succeed in bringing about development.