Luxury fashion company Balmain is partnering with Mattel to launch a ready-to-wear fashion and accessories collection as well as Barbie NFTs. Both companies consider the collaboration a celebration of their impact on the world of fashion.
This partnership marks Barbie’s first foray into the digital art world. Mattel and Balmain are offering three exclusive Barbie and Ken avatar NFTs. Additionally, each features the famous dolls in Balmain designs. Additionally, each of the one-of-a-kind NFTs comes with a unique Balmain outfit to fit actual Barbie dolls. By doing so, the companies are merging the worlds of digital and physical art collecting.
These exclusive NFTs were up for auction on mintNFT, an Australian-based NFT marketplace, through January 14, 2022. Balmain CMO, Txampi Diz, believes NFTs will be a lucrative tool for engaging customers in the future. “I believe it is going to change the fashion industry completely, and it will have the same impact as when social media first started or when the internet first launched,” Diz told Forbes.
Fashion And The Metaverse
Other fashion companies have already entered the digital art medium. Currently, the Decentraland metaverse plans to host its first fashion week in March 2022. Roblox and Ralph Lauren’s recent partnership let the clothing company offer digital outfits for avatars.
President and Chief Operating Officer at Mattel, Richard Dickson, believes together the companies will pave a new chapter in both the fashion and toy industries. “As a fashion house committed to innovation in unexpected and joyous ways, 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,” Dickson said in a press release.
Balmain and Mattel haven’t left the real world behind; the partnership’s clothing and accessories for actual humans are available worldwide at select retailers. The clothing line includes over 50 pieces that blend Barbie’s iconic aesthetic with Balmain’s posh style.
Jack Brassell is a freelance journalist and aspiring novelist. Jack is a self-proclaimed nerd with a lifelong passion for storytelling. As an author, Jack writes mostly horror and young adult fantasy. Also an avid gamer, she works as the lead news editor at Hardcore Droid. When she isn't writing or playing games, she can often be found binge-watching Parks & Rec or The Office, proudly considering herself to be a cross between Leslie Knope and Pam Beasley.
