AT TIMES, she is a blonde and at times she is adorned in a saree. She has been an astronaut, a surgeon, an athlete, princess, American idol winner, TV chef and many more. And, this time she is going to walk the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) in India, as part of her 50th birthday celebration. She’s Barbie.
Organised by Mattel Toys owners of Brand Barbie, along with Lakme and IMG, the event will be held on March 27 in Mumbai. Top designers have been asked to showcase real-size Barbie inspired looks and present Barbie as a modern day fashionista. There will be a contest for all the fashion designers on the occasion and the best will be awarded. This Barbie ramp walk follows the New York Fashion Week.
The models dressed as Barbies will be supported by some of the the best stylists and artists overseeing hair, makeup, styling and the assembly of Barbie’s fabled accessories, ensuring that each model celebrates Barbie’s signature styles from head to toe. Says designer Raghavendra Rathore, “Barbie has timeless sensuality. It is an inspiration for young girls across the world. It teaches you to adapt. It is also the most fashionable doll. One thing young girls can learn from her is that if you stand tall, you can wear any kind of clothes. It teaches you to experiment with clothes. It also connects girls globally. At any corner of the world, you would see girls playing with Barbie,”
“We thought it would be nice to give Barbie an Indian twist, especially since she is such a huge brand,” says Rahul Bhowmik, head of marketing, Mattel Toys.
Launched in 1959, Barbie has been dressed (105 million yards of fabric) by more than 70 names in fashion from Calvin to Cartier, Gucci to Galliano, Versace to Vera and she has one billion pairs of the most to-die-for shoes! Barbie boasts five decades of fashion heritage, working with thousands of fashion designers across the world and enjoys the nationality of 50 different nations.
Designer Ritu Beri agrees, “It’s the trendiest doll the world has ever seen. Girls always love to dress up, whatever age group they belong to. So, why not encourage them to play with Barbie, so that they learn the right kind of dressing.”
Whether a fashion icon or not, Barbie is definitely a part of every girl’s childhood. Apparently, across the world, three Barbies are sold every second. Barbie, manufactured by Mattel Toys Private Limited, came to India in early 80s and today BarbieGirls.com is a fast growing website ever with 50 million people clicking through her website across the world. “We cannot reveal the exact sales figures. However, we have had double-digit growth in the past ten years. It’s amazing how the growth has accelerated,” says Rahul.
While Barbie has always been a premium brand, it has always had entry level toys too that costs anything between Rs 200 and Rs 500. The cost of Barbie can go upto Rs. 3,499.
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