Barbie’s parent company Mattel, Inc. has announced the launch of a new partnership with Balmain.
The beloved doll brand and the luxury French design house will present a ready-to-wear fashion and accessories line, as well as the creation of three “one-of-a-kind non-fungible tokens (NFTs)” of Barbie and Ken avatars. Each digital artwork comes with exclusive Barbie x Balmain pieces, bringing together both a digital and physical collection.
The move to launch NFTs is part of Mattel’s expansion into the Metaverse, having first marked its place in the virtual space through the development of an e-commerce platform in 2020, for digital artwork surrounding Barbie. The NFTs will be available through Mattel Creations, via an online auction hosted by MintNFT.
Drawing influence from Balmain’s aesthetic over the last decade, established by its creative director Olivier Rousteing, the 50 plus piece ready-to-wear collection merges Barbie signatures with Balmain hallmarks, offering up a range of nostalgic ’90s designs with hints of “Barbie pink”.
“As our campaign images make very clear, Barbie and Balmain are embarking upon a distinctly multicultural, inclusive and always joy-filled adventure,” Rousteing says in a statement. “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.”
