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After an extended Barbiecore trend cycle, plus the upcoming film’s promotional tour and seemingly countless brand collabs, have we reached peak Barbie?
Barbiecore first took off last summer, after Valentino’s all-pink PP Autumn/Winter 2022 collection graced the (also pink) runway. A couple of months later, the first look at Margot Robbie in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie made the rounds on social media. Chanel’s May cruise show in Los Angeles was an unmistakable nod to Malibu Barbie. Robbie sat front row.
This summer, Barbie is inescapable. IP owner Mattel has locked in 100-plus partnerships across categories, from a stay at Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse with Airbnb to a glittery pink doughnut courtesy of Krispy Kreme and Barbie-themed Crocs that quickly sold out in the lead-up to the film’s 21 July release. The Barbie brand has made its way further into the fashion realm, often with affordable retailers for the most reach. Forever 21, Pacsun, Boohoo, Primark and Gap released Barbie collections. Beauty is also in the mix — collabs include OPI, Nyx makeup and Glass House Fragrances.
Yet, despite Barbie’s saturation, luxury brands haven’t backed away. “While it could be seen mainly as a youth-driven, OTT trend, it does impact the wider market,” says Sarah Maggioni, head of womenswear at trend forecasting agency WGSN. She identifies hot pink as the farthest-reaching (and most commercial) trend associated with Barbiecore, noting that “tastemaking” brands such as Nensi Dojaka, Balenciaga, Jacquemus, Ester Manas and Loewe are joining the likes of Valentino in embracing the colour. Bright pink was among the fastest rising colours in AW22 collections, according to WGSN, with 201 per cent year-on-year growth.
“Over many years, fashion brands have been inspired by the Barbie world, and have harnessed Barbie’s power to sell products; she’s become a forever icon,” says Katy Lubin, VP of brand and communications at shopping app and insight firm Lyst. Past notable Barbie fashion moments include Jeremy Scott’s SS15 collection for Moschino, and a 2019 Kith capsule collection in honour of Barbie’s 60th anniversary. Now, public interest is mounting. This summer, searches for pink pieces on Lyst have increased 24 per cent year-on-year. Google searches for ‘Barbiecore’ have increased in interest by 335 per cent worldwide since May, according to data scientist Madé Lapuerta, founder of data-driven online publication Data, But Make It Fashion.
Lyst’s Lubin notes that while the Barbie aesthetic has long been part of the fashion conversation, we’re now likely at “peak Barbiecore” ahead of the movie. This raises the question of how much value fashion can gain from capitalising on trends like this — and the implications of doing so. While it might make for a quick buck, if demand will inevitably die down, this risks excess inventory and low-wear garments that consumers cycle through quickly. On the flip side, if the trend has sufficient staying power, it’s a way for brands to engage in the cultural conversation while pushing products.
“Love or hate her, everyone knows or has an opinion on Barbie and that word of mouth is a marketer’s dream,” says Nina Van Volkinburg, lecturer at London College of Fashion (LCF). “Especially given the proliferation of social media and a more decentralised society, it is fascinating how Barbie(core) has crossed geographies, age, sex and different subcultures, demonstrating that a global trend is not dead.” Van Volkinburg, who works at the intersection of sustainability and marketing, credits the adoption to a mix of nostalgia and pink’s ‘feminine power’ symbolism, adding that it’s “very of the moment”.
WGSN’s Maggioni also identifies nostalgia as a key factor, “both for a demographic who lived through those times and is currently seeking solace in that familiarity, but, in particular, for a new demographic who romanticise those past times and is experiencing anemoia — nostalgia for a time you’ve never known”.
Barbiecore has well and truly made its way into fashion’s lexicon, at both ends of the spectrum. However, with pink crowding consumers’ consciousness now more than ever, can the colour maintain its momentum or is the tonal trend running its course? And what can brands learn about when to jump on a trend, and when to pull back?
Getting in on the action (again)
Embracing the Barbie trend has so far paid off. According to data scientist Lapuerta, Versace used pink in approximately 20 per cent of its collections this year — just in time for the Barbie press tour. At the time of analysis, Versace was the brand most frequently worn by Margot Robbie during the tour, Lapuerta tells Vogue Business. Approximately 30 per cent of her outfits were Versace, followed by 18 per cent from Valentino and another 18 per cent from Chanel, according to Lapuerta. Notably, the latter two contenders were the two that staged pink-centric runway shows in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Robbie’s custom Schiaparelli look at the Los Angeles premiere has generated a media impact value (MIV; Launchmetrics’s media placement impact metric) of over $2.1 million — more than a half of the brand’s AW23 show (worth $4.1 million in MIV), according to Launchmetrics.
Fast fashion retailers are getting in on the action, not just leaning into pink, but releasing branded, Mattel-endorsed Barbie collabs. The Crocs x Barbie collab sold out on day one. Superga’s Barbie sneakers are running low in most sizes. More than half of Nyx’s Barbie products are out of stock, as per the site. “With the increased relevance surrounding the anticipated film, the timing to establish a partnership felt right,” says Addie Rintel, vice president of design merchandising at Pacsun, which created a collection inspired by Barbie’s nineties looks.
It’s Forever 21’s fourth collection with Mattel and Barbie — and its broadest yet. “Barbiecore has historically been a fan-favourite trend for our shoppers,” CEO Winnie Park says. “Expanding beyond the iconic Barbie brand, pink is also a top-selling colour across our Forever 21 product assortment.” The brand released the collection on its mobile app first, and almost 40 per cent sold out before the website launch. Best-selling styles sold out before hitting the web, Park adds. Given this, the CEO doesn’t expect the hype to die down anytime soon.
The collabs have trickled down to budget retailers, including affordable teen fashion retailer Rue21, which debuted a Barbie x Hot Wheels collection (a J J Abrams-directed Hot Wheels movie is in the works for a 2025 release). Prices range from $7.99 to $39.99.
Instagram content
Lasting sentiment
On the luxury end, demand for hot pink is increasing on resale sites. “We are seeing shopping patterns directly reflect the hype and excitement of the movie release,” says Rachel Glicksberg, manager of women’s fashion at The RealReal. “We are seeing high levels of consumer interest for pink items.” Demand for pink items is up 35 per cent year-on-year, the biggest lift coming from demand for clothing (up 98 per cent year-over-year), Glicksberg says. There hasn’t been an uptick in pink item consignment — yet. “Trendy items are typically held onto, especially during the height of a trend,” Glicksberg says. “We do anticipate that, post-movie release, and once the hype wears down, we will see a trickle down effect with more pink items being consigned.”
When the hype does, inevitably, die down, what happens to those hot pink items? “Unfortunately, short-lived trends result in long-term environmental harm,” LCF’s Van Volkinburg says. “In particular, the detrimental waste generated by the act of throwing away cheaply made, mostly oil-derived pieces which are ultimately poison for the earth.” It also tends to be the cheaper products that are embossed with Barbie branding, whereas luxury plays more into the colour alone. “To avoid consumers throwing away such pieces, it is important for brands to maintain their own design integrity when engaging with a trend to ensure their relevance lasts beyond the hype lifecycle and can be appropriated in a different context in future,” Van Volkinburg says.
Though Barbie-branded products lack longevity, the symbolism behind Barbie has staying power, WGSN’s Maggioni says. While it’s a marketing frenzy now, a trend isn’t always dependent on buying new, Van Volkinburg adds. “It is a styling exercise for brands and for consumers who now have many more options in getting involved, from buying secondhand to renting, and also putting their own unique spin on items they already have in their wardrobes,” she says. “Trends — in this case, Barbiecore — inject new meaning into products and that process of interpretation is arguably what transforms ‘clothes’ into fashion.”
Lyst’s Lubin says the longevity of the trend will also come from its evolution. “In terms of a Barbie over-saturation, what we see now is that trends don t really die out, they fragment and evolve. Even what feel like the biggest in-the-moment blockbuster cultural talking points have a long-tail; styling references that get remixed and revisited by fashion shoppers for years to come."
That demand for Valentino Garavani’s pink patent leather pumps is up 145 per cent year-on-year, according to The RealReal’s Glicksberg, is indicative of the enduring appeal of trend pieces as trends like Barbiecore evolve. Demand for pink Valentino pieces in general is up 21 per cent year-on-year, she adds. There’s also been a 50 per cent search uptick for Balmain and Barbie’s January 2022 collaboration collection. Ninety per cent of the pieces The RealReal has received from this sell within 30 days. The current uptick in Barbiecore, over a year after both the collab and all-pink show, has spurred new interest in the garments. “In the case of Barbiecore, perhaps someone has moved on from the trend, while another shopper might view the item as a fashion history piece and keepsake,” Glicksberg says.
Barbiecore may be at its peak, but that’s not to say elements of the aesthetic won’t carry over beyond the current moment — with a different meaning than is typically associated with Barbie. “While this aesthetic is associated with hyper-femininity, this is a new way of doing hyper-feminine,” Maggioni says. “This look isn’t only embraced by middle-class, thin, white girls — essentially what Barbie embodied. Barbiecore and its related aesthetics are embraced by all sorts of body shapes, races and gender identities.” Forever 21’s collection, for instance, ranges from XS to 3XL, which CEO Park says resonated with consumers.
“It’s a new guise, which has evolved from what we have previously seen. It’s more inclusive and it questions stereotypes,” Maggioni says. “Why should hyper-girly girls be labelled as ‘dumb’? Why can’t men like glitter, ruffles and hot pink?” Given that Gen Z is the most inclusive generation to date, aesthetic standards have changed, she adds. “Even nostalgic icons like Barbie and what they symbolise evolve with [these].”
A selection of Margot Robbie’s looks from the Barbie press tour
Clarification: Valentino pump reference was updated to include Garavani within the brand name.
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