Barbie news and archive

Barbie unveils apparel line with England’s Red Roses

Mattel’s Barbie has unveiled its first-ever partnership with a sports team in the UK with England’s Red Roses, the England Rugby women’s team, as it looks to inspire the next generation of female rugby players through grassroots initiatives, funding, merchandise, and storytelling. The partnership comes as new research from Barbie and England...

Fashion

Barbie partners with Black in Fashion Council to celebrate Black designers

Mattel-owned Barbie has struck up a new partnership with the Black in Fashion Council (BIFC) in celebration of Black History Month to highlight three emerging Black female designers. Larissa Muehleder, Nia Thomas and Fumi Egbon have been selected to participate in the initiative, which will involve interviews with each of the talents touching on...

People

Mattel names new head of UK consumer products

Mattel, the leading toy and family entertainment company behind brands including Barbie, Monster High and Hot Wheels, has appointed Mara Verzé as its new head of UK consumer products. In a statement, Mattel said Verzé would lead the UK consumer products team and continue accelerating licensing in the market. Verzé joins Mattel EMEA from...

Featured

Fashion |Beauty

Mattel launches multi-brand Barbie collaboration with Canadian designers

Mattel, which owns Barbie, has unveiled a multi-brand collaboration with five female-led Canadian companies to celebrate the fashion doll's 65th anniversary. The ‘Barbie Through The Decades’ collection celebrates Barbie’s six-decade history in fashion and beauty with eight looks created by Hilary MacMillan, Ai, Paris Jewellers Canada, Cheekbone...

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Business

L Catterton reportedly submits acquisition bid for Barbie owner Mattel

LVMH-backed private equity firm L Catterton is believed to have submitted an acquisition proposal for toy maker Mattel, a move that could encourage other suitors to also step forward with bids. According to anonymous sources for Reuters, while such a bid is believed to have been made, there is no guarantee that Mattel will explore the...

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Culture|In Pictures

Design Museum opens major Barbie exhibition

London’s Design Museum is banking on another summer of Barbie-mania with an exhibition dedicated to Mattel’s favourite doll, charting Barbie’s legacy and design evolution through fashion, architecture, furniture, and even body image. ‘Barbie: The Exhibition,’ runs until February 23, 2025, and marks the 65th anniversary of the Barbie brand,...

Culture

Margot Robbie’s Barbie red carpet looks immortalised in new book

Barbie-mania is still going strong. Book publisher Rizzoli and toy company Mattel have announced a new book documenting the red carpet fashion worn by actress Margot Robbie during the press tour for the ‘Barbie’ movie last year. The ‘Barbie: The World Tour’ coffee table book launches on March 8 and will offer fans a detailed look into the iconic...

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Culture

Best of 2023: Documentaries, series and films that shaped fashion trends

Just before the end of the year, FashionUnited traditionally takes a look back at the films, documentaries and series that were released in the last twelve month. What has emerged for 2023? 2023 was the year of fashion trends that were inspired by the silver screen or, vice versa, inspired audiovisual art. Here is an overview of the series and...

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Culture

Design Museum to explore 65 years of Barbie

The Design Museum in London is teaming up with global toy company Mattel to launch an all-new exhibition exploring 65 years of its iconic fashion doll Barbie. The exhibition will open next year, from July 5, 2024, to February 23, 2025, as part of Barbie’s 65th anniversary. The Barbie exhibit will map the Barbie legacy that started in 1959 when...

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Fashion |In Pictures

Wrangler teams up with Barbie on a Western-inspired collection

Denim brand Wrangler has unveiled a collaboration with Barbie featuring archival, western-inspired styles to capture the “imaginative and playful style” of the fashion doll. The Wrangler x Barbie collection reimagines brand archives and pays homage to the Barbie brand’s history of experimenting with Western-inspired fashion and her authentic...

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Fashion

Barbie’s endless wardrobe costs 2.2 trillion pounds "in real life"

A recent study conducted by the cost-comparison platform Idealo has shed light on the staggering real-world cost of Barbie's opulent lifestyle, encompassing luxury cars, a private jet, and an extensive wardrobe. This analysis reveals that emulating Barbie's lifestyle would come with a jaw-dropping price tag of 2.241 trillion pounds. The release...

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Fashion |In Pictures

Barbiecore: Fashion and beauty brands team up with Mattel

Mattel’s favourite doll Barbie is the toast of fashion and beauty ahead of the highly anticipated ‘Barbie the Movie’ film release starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, with the toy company securing over 100 licensing deals across fashion, beauty, and accessories. Everywhere you go you are bombarded with Barbie pink, with the Barbiecore trend...