Who could’ve thought Barbie, Balmain, and blockchain would ever be used in the same sentence? The iconic doll by Mattel has never shied away from donning the latest avatars and keeping up with the trends. With the advent of the pandemic, we saw Barbie dolls honor Covid-19 heroes, including British vaccine developer Sarah Gilbert. And now, with NFT’s becoming all the rage, Barbie is set to enter the digital world not with Ken but with French luxury house Balmain. Among the tangible pieces of the collection are 50 ready-to-wear pieces and accessories. Balmain’s exaggerated aesthetic looks phenomenal on Barbie with oodles of pink! The NFT’s, on the other hand, will feature three one-of-a-kinds Barbie and Ken avatars.
These avatars also sport exclusive Barbie x Balmain pieces, bringing together both a digital and physical collection. Barbie and Balmain both share a fashion sensibility; from using bold prints, OTT silhouettes, optimistic iconography, it was only a matter of time these two came together to combine their fortes. Oliver Rousting told theNew York Times, “For me, it’s a lot more than just a commercial project. It’s very emotional.” Business Wire reports, “As our campaign images make very clear, Barbie and Balmain are embarking upon a distinctly multicultural, inclusive, and always joy-filled adventure,” shared 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% unisex collection. For, just as today’s Barbie makes clear, nothing is holding us back anymore!” for those who are keen on jumping on the digital bandwagon, the NFT’s will be available with Mattel Creations by way of a mintNFT auction.
Each NFT is paired with a set of Barbie-sized Balmain items. Bidding for the Balmain x Barbie NFTs begins Tuesday, January 11, on the Mattel Creations website. The ready-to-wear and accessories collection will be available from January 13 onwards at Balmain stores and online.
