Barbie-A Fashion Brand?

50 years later and Barbie is still making moves. The iconic doll will be reaching it’s 50th milestone next year with a serious marketing game plan by Mattel - making the Barbie brand more than a household name…but in fact a fashion brand! Mattel will be lining up new partnership deals with Jeremy Scott, Vera Wang, Bloomingdales, IMG and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In February, as a part Fashion Week in NYC - 50 undisclosed designers will produce life-sized ensembles inspired by the iconic Barbie doll. In addition a new line of beauty products will be featured such as; “All Doll’d Up” for color cosmetics & “Plastic Smooth” for skin treatments - all of which is slated for release in 2009. Mattel will also open House of Barbie in Shanghai, which will be the first of many potential global locations Mattel.inc hopes to expand .

Mattel General Manager / Senior Vice President said: “At a time most brands will retreat, we will move ahead aggressively.”

In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of “The Wizard Of OZ” - Waner Bros. Partnered with Swarovski along with 19 designers such as; Manolo Blahnik, Botiker, Alberta Ferretti, Giuseppe Zanotti, and many more to re-create Dorothy’s iconic ruby slippers - which were also exhibited at Bryant Park during Fashion Week this past September. Among other projects, Vera Wang will be designing a life-size wedding gown - priced over a whopping $15,000, which will also include a miniature version of the Wang creation. Jeremy Scott will unveil a capsule collection inspired by Barbie for next spring. Mattel is planning to launch a Barbie theme “shop-in-shop” at Apothia in the Fred Segal retail complex in Santa Monica, California.

Barbie’s parent company Mattel will jump start things come February, where the three-year partnership with the CFDA will begin sponsoring the IMG-organized Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York festivities. Mattel is considering helping fund scholarships and organize panels, while the CFDA is helping Mattel find designers within the association’s 350 members who will participate in February’s runway show.

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