Barbie in Louboutin

The Doll And The Designer

Jessica Bumpus, 02 November 2009

HAVING created a pair of his classic peep-toe shoes in Barbie hot pink for Barbie's 50th birthday at New York Fashion Week, Christian Louboutin's collaboration with the doll continues.
Acting as a muse to the famous footwear designer, the doll has not only inspired a series of photographs featuring her spending time with Louboutin (at his studio, in his country house and on his boat), she has also prompted the designer to customise three dolls.
Inspired by Marilyn Monroe and Nefertiti, each doll comes with four pairs of special Barbie-sized Louboutins - complete in their very own Louboutin shoe boxes and wrapped in delicate tissue paper.
Launching in December just in time for stylish stockings, a collector's set consisting of the Christian Louboutin Barbie doll with a jewellery thief theme and a calendar will be available from NET-A-PORTER.COM.
"We are so excited to be working with Mattel and to be part of the Christian Louboutin and Barbie journey. Barbie is the ultimate dress up girl, Christian is the ultimate girl's best friend and via NET-A-PORTER.COM their collaboration can now go global," says Natalie Massenet, founder and chairman of NAP.
The Christian Louboutin Barbie set costs £100. Visit www.net-a-porter.com/barbie for further information.

Source

---------------------------------------------

Although nothing to do with the technology of fashion, I still somehow think this is relevant to my research, I'm just not sure why. Maybe it's because I used to love Barbie, and when I didn't like the shoes I would draw them on and create a heel out of a toothpick, but I find it so interesting how designers try to get back to their childish roots with dolls and teddy bears. Karl Lagerfeld is a prime example of a designer having toys made in his image, but with Louboutin now creating shoes for a doll, you wonder who is really going to buy it? A very bratty child that wants the most expensive Barbie around, regardless of it's meaning to the fashion industry, a collector or Louboutin or of Barbie, or, really me. Admittedly I wouldn't have £100 to spare, but I would love to have one, just to say I had it, and to say I owned a teeny tiny pair of Christian Louboutin shoes that there's no way in hell I'd be able to fit into.