Mattel Inc. has announced a new collaborative collection between the Barbie brand and French fashion label Balmain. The collection celebrates both Barbie and Balmain's impact and influence on fashion and culture. Image: Business Wire
FASHION
Barbie and Balmain Collaborate on New Ready-to-Wear and Accessories Collection
Toymaker Mattel Inc. has announced a new collaboration between the Barbie brand and luxury fashion label Balmain that celebrates both iconic names' impact on fashion and culture.
Barbie has been a globally recognized influence in fashion and pop culture for over 60 years, and celebrated its 50th birthday with a runway show at New York Fashion Week in 2009. The new collection features over 50 pieces in several shades of pink, including Barbie’s signature bubblegum shade. The collection features a mix of the Barbie signature styles with Balmain’s hallmarks, such as its Labyrinth pattern and oversized gold buttons.
“As our campaign images make very clear, Barbie and Balmain are embarking upon a distinctly multicultural, inclusive and always joy-filled adventure,” said Creative Director of Balmain, Olivier Rousteing. “For this collaboration, we are building upon the New French Style of Balmain’s most recent collections, once again showing that Balmain is inspired by the truly diverse and exciting beauty found on today’s Parisian boulevards and avenues. This collection also rejects any arbitrary gender limitations—this is an almost 100 percent unisex collection. For, just as today’s Barbie makes clear, there's nothing holding us back anymore!”
The two companies are also releasing three one-of-a-kind NFTs of distinctive Barbie and Ken avatars with each coming with a bespoke set of Barbie-sized Balmain pieces. The three Barbie x Balmain NFTs will be available through Mattel Creations, an e-commerce platform launched by Mattel in 2020 that connects Barbie and the rest of Mattel’s catalog of intellectual properties to global creators to produce limited-edition creations where toys are a canvas for art.
Barbie and Balmain have launched a digital campaign that depicts the new collection on Barbie avatars. The line of ready-to-wear and accessories will launch worldwide in Balmain stores and other global retailers, as well as balmain.com with prices ranging from $295 to $42,494.
