- Words Isabelle Cassidy
Balmain and Barbie announce their collaboration that includes a unisex clothing collection and a set of NFTs.
As the success of iconic fashion collaborations continue, we enter the year due to give us Yeezy Gap x Balenciaga, Adidas x Prada and and KAWS x North Face. The pairing we perhaps didn’t see coming: the latest drop from Balmain and Barbie.
Described by the fashion house as the result of a ‘distinctly multicultural, inclusive, and joy-filled adventure’ the collaboration continues Barbie’s recent efforts to celebrate diversity. The ready-to-wear collection will feature over fifty, almost entirely unisex, items that play on Balmain’s ‘New French Style’.
The collection is not limited to physical fashion and also marks Barbie’s first foray into the digital art space. The collab includes three pieces of Ken and Barbie wearing items from the collection and each NFT will come with brand-inspired items of a similar size.
The Mattel CEO and president Richard Dickson has discussed the innovative potential for the collection, and how “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”.
The physical collection is scheduled for release on January 13 via the Balmain website, Mattel Creations and offline retail stores, while the NFTs will be auctioned from January 11th-14th in a mintNFT format.
