Barbie Goes NFTs (and Fashion for Those Who Want to Dress Like Dolls?)

By Lori Perkins

In one of the strangest emails I’ve received in awhile, I was invited to become one of the first 5,000 people to set up an account to bid on three exclusive Barbie NFTs with designs by the French luxury brand Balmain, which is also designing an entire line of Barbie Balmain clothes for real women (not the dolls) to wear.

It’s a little overwhelming.

But I signed up, not to bid in cryptocurrency (which is the only thing they are accepting), but to watch the 2-hour exclusive presentation by the three designers at Balmain who out this while NFT/designer clothing concept together in January 11. According to Mattel, “We’ve partnered with mintNFT.com to host a virtual event about this auction that will be available to view on 1/11 at 5 PM PT. Representatives from Barbie, NFT and Balmain will talk about the inspiration behind this collaboration and the amazing NFTs up for auction.” The speakers include Balmain CMO Txampi Diz, MintNFT CEO James Sun and Mattel COO Richard Dickerson. I have a feeling it is going to be a one-of-a-kind experience, and since I am snowed-in and COVID-fearful, I’ll be there.

Winning of the three NFTs, which feature two different Barbies and a Ken avatars in various voluminous Balmain confections in pink will not only win the NFT with a key of authenticity, but the doll-sized ensemble featured in the NFT to wear in real life. Considering that a Balmain T-shirt goes for upwards of $500, Ken’s flowing pink silk suit NFT ensemble might actually be a bargain for someone who cares about stuff like this.

The 50-piece Balmain Barbie collection for real-life grown women goes on sale to the public January 13th. Here’s a link to what might be offered, https://www.balmain.com/us/balmain/projects/balmain-x-barbie