Balmain x Barbie NFT: The future of fashion collectibles
It's been over 60 years since the American doll Barbie "came into the world" and became an icon of Western society, even pop culture. Some of us may remember the collaboration of many designers with Barbie, starting with Oscar de la Renta, who dressed Barbie in the early 1980s, followed by Giorgio Armani, fashion brand United Colors of Benetton, and many others.
Now Barbie has entered the digital world and is dressed head to toe in Balmain couture. A collaboration that no one expected. So 2022 really is the year Barbiecore!
The two brands are teaming up for a ready to wear collection, accessory line and a limited series of NFT.
Balmain realized a limited collection of physical, Barbie-sized Balmain clothing styles and accessories, a 50-piece collection of women’s ready-to-wear styles and accessories, and three NFTs of Barbie and Ken. Toys for artists are like a blank canvas where creativity can be expressed and displayed.
from dusty pink to bubblegum
The first thing that jumps out at you is the color pink. Pink everywhere,used in different shaded. That makes perfect sense: for a collaboration with Barbie, it is logical to choose a 'total pink' look, as this color is now synonymous with the brand. Thus, Oliver Roustering, Balmain's Creative Director designed the collection's palette, which ranges from the softest shades of pink to the brightest.
“For this collaboration, we take our cue from the new New French Style of the latest Balmain collections, proving once again that Balmain is inspired by the varied, genuine and exciting beauty that populates the streets and boulevards of contemporary Paris." - Oliver Rousteing.
The Barbie x Balmain ready-to-wear and accessories line takes the established aesthetic and opulence that Rousteing has so successfully built up over the past decade and filters it through a Barbie lens. 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.
Why can only Barbie wear pink (and not Ken)?
This collection has a deep message for Rousteing, because it is a genderless collection. The ads emphasize diversity and inclusion, featuring a multicultural cast of Barbie avatars. In the world of Barbie it is right to change the rules. A new world where Ken can borrow Barbie's clothes and vice versa. The aim of this collection is to create a society free of stereotypes.
About Balmain
More than 75 years ago, when Pierre Balmain first introduced his “New French Style,” it immediately became clear to all that his eponymous house was offering a distinctly fresh, bold and feminine conception of haute couture, one which broke with many of the well-established conventions of the era. His audaciousness paid off. Pierre Balmain became one of the handful of young French talents who ushered in the mid-century’s golden age of couture and helped to re-establish Paris as the world’s fashion capital.
For more than ten years, Balmain’s Creative Director, Olivier Rousteing, has been inventively building upon Pierre Balmain’s extraordinary legacy, while always remaining true to his own determination to design clothes that reflect the way his inclusive, powerful and global Balmain Army wishes to live today. The result is a unique and instantly recognizable Balmain silhouette, style and attitude that highlights the singular craftsmanship of the house’s celebrated ateliers, while consistently referencing a rich Parisian heritage.
These Barbie x Balmain NFTs are available exclusively through Mattel Creations, via an online auction hosted on mintNFT.
