When the world of toys and fashion collide, one might find Barbie sporting Balmain!

The New York Times reports that French high fashion house Balmain and the world’s favorite plastic doll Barbie will team up for its very own non-fungible token (NFT) collection.

This marks new territory in the digital space, designed with toys in mind, but there isn’t a doll involved. 

The Collection

A Balmain and Barbie collaboration just might not be what you were expecting to hit the world of NFTs, but both companies want consumers to expect the unexpected. While there isn’t an actual doll involved, the collaboration includes a 50-piece Barbie-inspired collection for adults.

Modeled by racially diverse avatars, it includes three NFTs of one-of-a-kind looks that will be auctioned online. Each look will come with its very own doll-size physical design marking the Mattel brand’s reach into the digital collectible space.

Something For Everyone

Another unique approach made by the Barbie and Balmain collection is that all of the NFT looks are unisex thus erasing the division between Barbie and her former lover Ken.

“Having Barbie in my Balmain army, making a collection inspired by her where there are no boy clothes or girl clothes, is my small revenge,” said Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain in an official statement. “I think Barbie represents a joyful dream world. There’s nothing wrong with a dream. But let’s push the dream and not dream of the 1950s or 1960s, but 2022. For me, it’s a lot more than just a commercial project. It’s very emotional.”

Rousteing was inspired by his own love for playing with Barbies as a child and the rejection that followed because he was a male who loved the dolls. It is this very reason that led him to take his relationship with Mattel beyond just the dress-the-doll phase.

It’s not his first time working with Barbie either after having previously created looks for the Claudia Schiffer Barbie. Just last year, Rousteing also invited computer-generated imagery (C.G.I) Barbie and Ken to Balmain’s digital fashion show.

A Whole New World

Now Mattel continues to soar to new heights with the Barbie doll by taking its influence to the next level with the combination of one’s love for dolls and fashion, plus technology. 

“When you combine the seriousness of high fashion with the fun of toys, it’s very powerful,” said Mattel’s President and Chief Operating Officer Richard Dickson.

The Barbie x Balmain collection will feature a range of designs, including a T-shirt that will run for $295 and even a signature gown priced at $42,495.

From Jan. 11 to Jan. 14, consumers can shop the collection during the Barbie x Balmain auction online.