Mattel has launched a dynamic, unprecedented partnership between the Barbie brand and the French luxury fashion brand, Balmain.
As well as developing a celebration of the combined influence of Barbie and Balmain on fashion and wider culture.
Meanwhile, the two brands are launching a ready-to-wear fashion and accessories collection that excludes two entities distinct Barbie and Ken Avatar three one-of-a-kind NFT.
Mattel said in a press release, styling a complete look from Balmain’s design, each comes with a one-of-a-kind bespoke set of Barbie-sized Balmain pieces, creating a unique digital and physical art collection.
These Barbie x Balmain NFTs will be available exclusively through Mattel Creations, an online auction hosted by mintNFT, guaranteeing buyers a unique place in the history of fashion.
Barbie, with a history of more than 62 years, makes a crossroads between globally recognized influences and arbitrators, brands, art, and collectibles in the world of fashion and pop culture.
On the other hand, In 2020 Mattel launched Mattel Creations, an e-commerce platform that integrates Barbie – and the iconic catalog of Mattel’s IP.
With a network of global creators creating those seven limited-edition creations where toys are inspired by art canvas, and art toys, and with the rapid expansion of metavars, Mattel Creations has become particularly resonant in the virtual space and is a new platform for digital art delivery.
Besides, Barbie and Balmain have launched a digital campaign, which depicts the ready-to-wear and accessories collection on Barbie avatars. The promotion was conceptualized and styled by Charlotte Stockdale and Katie Lyall and photographed by Norbert Schoerner.
From a nostalgic 1990’s-era Barbie logo to a “Barbie pink” Pantone to Barbie’s iconic packaging, Rousteing and the Balmain teams’ 50+ piece collection intertwines the toy’s signatures with the label’s hallmarks, like its marinière and Labyrinth patterns.
Barbie and Balmain share a penchant for bright, optimistic iconography, and here, they come together in a balanced and wearable homage to the ebullient legacies of both, according to Mattel.
Regarding this Richard Dickson, president and chief operating officer of Mattel said, “Together, Barbie and Balmain are creating a new chapter in the legacy of the toy and fashion industries. As a fashion house committed to innovation in unexpected and joyous ways, Balmain, under Olivier Rousteing’s creative direction, is the perfect partner to translate the iconography that is unique to Barbie into a modern iteration of digital art and physical fashion.”
Olivier Rousteing, creative director of Balmain said, “As our campaign images make very clear, Barbie and Balmain are embarking upon a distinctly multicultural, inclusive, and always joy-filled adventure. For this collaboration, we are building upon the new French style of Balmain’s most recent collections.”
Once again shows 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, he added.
