If you’ve got your finger on the pulse of upcoming blockbuster releases, there’s a good chance you’ve already heard of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie feature film that just dropped in hot on 21st July. The hype had been building ever since we caught our first glimpse of Margot Robbie in character as the iconic doll, but things ramped up when the first meme-ready trailer dropped in the spring, followed by a marketing campaign that dominated social media. After that came the star-studded soundtrack, a seemingly never-ending line of tie-in merch and a glittering press tour that has made Margot and Ryan Gosling pretty much unavoidable for the last few weeks. The world has undergone total Barbie-fication, from the countless stream of memes across our socials to an actual shortage of pink paint!
The movie has been fueled by an intense marketing push that included billboards in Times Square, Airbnb listings, and the most influential of all: brand collaborations. Much before the release of the film, there has been plenty of Barbie-related content all thanks to different brands who are already loving all things pink and announcing their summer Barbie collaborations. From makeup to hair tools, drinks, clothes and even roller skates. At this rate, we can all live in our very own Barbie Land (or at least you can actually pretend to with Barbie’s AirBnb collab where you can win a chance to stay in Barbie’s Dreamhouse). “Babe if I’m going to live in capitalism at least make it Barbitalism [sic] you know what I mean?” one fan wrote. Another person said: “This is my 3-year-old self’s dream. The world IS [sic] Barbie.” While someone else added, “We’re literally Barbie girls in the Barbie world.”
The industry that has been the epicentre of this pink tornado is hands down the fashion industry. From pink being a six-year-old girl’s colour to pink being the IT summer colour. The fashion industry has had a major breakthrough. Significant brands like Fossil which came through with hot pink leather bags, watches and necklaces with Barbie charms or NYX which launched a commemorative makeup line as Barbie’s makeup is always on point all the while transforming Barbie’s pink flip-phone into a compact. But the hottest collection was hands down the collab with Aldo. With the 19-piece capsule collection of footwear, handbags, and accessories straight out of the early aughts, you can embody any Barbie and have all the closet staples you always wished were human-sized. Its array of pumps and flats can be mixed and matched with embellished micro-purses and blinged out statement jewelry donning the famed Barbie logo. Barbie also collaborated with many fast fashion brands like Boohoo, Forever21 and Zara. Even the Barbie-verse isn’t immune to fast fashion.
Some other fun collabs are:
# Barbie x CHI which launched a flat iron and curling wand that might make your hair look like Barbie’s perpetually coiffed locks.
# Barbie x MeUndies collab and yes you guessed it right, it’s boxers, briefs and bras for those who’d rather keep their love for Barbie close to their heart.
# Barbie x Bumble where – no you can’t match with Margot Robbie or Ryan Gosling, but you can get advice and encouragement from Barbie and Ken.
# Barbie x Crocs collab with new Crocs and charms for when you just can’t swing a feathered kitten heel got sold out in a matter of hours.
# Barbie x Superga collab surely got the laughs coming up with sneakers as impractical as possible.
# Barbie x BurgerKing that screamed that Barbie doesn’t just wear pink but even eats pink.
After all, pink isn’t just a color, it’s a lifestyle.