Mattel, Inc., Barbie’s parent company, has announced a partnership between the beloved doll brand Barbie and Balmain, a French luxury house.
They have teamed up to create a line of ready-to-wear fashions and accessories, and three unique non-fungible tokens of Barbie and Ken avatars. Every digital artwork includes exclusive Barbie x Balmain pieces that bring together both a physical and digital collection.
Mattel Creations will sell the NFTs via an online auction hosted at MintNFT.
NFTs are part of Mattel’s expansion into the metaverse. Mattel established a virtual space in 2020 with the creation of an e-commerce platform for digital artwork around Barbie.
The partnership includes a ready-to wear line that draws inspiration from Balmain’s aesthetic for the past decade. It was created by Olivier Rousteing, its creative director. Balmain’s signatures are combined with Barbie’s 50+ collection, which offers a variety of nostalgic 90s designs with hints reminiscent of Barbie pink.
Rousteing stated that Barbie and Balmain embark on a multi-cultural, inclusive, and joy-filled adventure. “We are continuing the New French Style of Balmain’s most recent collections for this collaboration. This is a way to show that Balmain is inspired and inspired by the vibrant and inspiring beauty found today on Parisian boulevards. This collection is almost 100% unisex and rejects any gender restrictions.
The collection will be sold at Balmain shops, on its e-commerce site and Mattel Creations. It will also be available for purchase at retailers around the world starting January 13.
