The Guo Pei Barbie based on Rihanna’s 2015 Met Gala look, an example of the creative exchange between the doll and design professionals. Photo by Brian Centrone.

The fashion alphabet

For all the interviewees, Barbie was a tool for getting closer to fashion, specifically to understand and recognize key fashion styles. Through her outfits (and thanks to them), they learned what it meant to have a casual, formal, classic, or streetwear style. Almost without realizing it, they grasped which clothing items, colors, and details defined and identified these styles.

"At the time, and maybe it's still the same, they sold outfits for Barbie. These included everything: dress, shoes, bag, necklace, earrings. And there were various styles, such as Casual Barbie, Party Barbie, Holiday Barbie, Fancy Barbie, Cocktail Barbie, and so on. You associated the definitions with the characteristics, so you realized that Casual Barbie dressed in a certain way, and that Party Barbie was different from Holiday Barbie." (5)

"I understood what a cocktail dress was thanks to one Barbie’s cocktail gown. It was a dress made in a specific way, with a specific cut and shape, to be paired with specific accessories." (17)

"Barbie made me aware of fashion, without me even realizing. I understood what it meant to have a formal and an informal style because certain colors belonged to one style and not the other. Although her outfits were generally colorful, there were still differences." (8)

"The set of daily clothes for Casual Barbie was very different from the one of Party Barbie, even though everything was mostly pink and glossy. There were differences that a child would notice and internalize." (23)

Interviewees reported that, while playing with Barbie, not only did they learn about the features and staples of the most common clothing styles, they also internalized the concept of  "Total Look."

"Barbie is a precursor of what later became known as the 'total look.' She was sold as a 'total look.' Bride Barbie is perhaps the best example, but the same could be said for Causal Barbie or Office Barbie. It was a complete set" (11)

"The Barbie clothing sets are, indeed, sets. Everything is already defined, a bit like today when you go to a store and the shop assistants get you everything… They sell you the dress, but they also try to sell you matching shoes or the jacket that goes well with that dress. Or you try on a top and, while you're in the fitting room, the shop assistant brings you the matching skirt. Barbie had already figured this out." (18)

"The ready-made Barbie outfits from my time, and I believe they still exist, were a bit like the displays in mono-brand stores, with all the items already matched, including a bag, boots, and even a scarf." (20)

“Barbie has not only been a way to learn the fashion alphabet; for many of the interviewees,  she was also the tool to discover and express creativity.”

A creative exercise

Barbie has not only been a way to learn the fashion alphabet; for many of the interviewees, she was also the  tool to discover and express creativity. Playing with Barbie meant, first and foremost, playing with clothes and accessories. This allowed them to unleash their creative flair, to hone and enhance it.

"The fun was in changing her clothes. I would say: 'Now it's evening, and she's going to a ball,’ and then I dressed her up, matching the shoes, the bag, the necklace, and the earrings, and even putting a crown on her head." (7)

"I used to invent stories and change the outfits, even though, of course, I didn't call them outfits. I matched the outfits to the stories. It was a bit like styling, although, of course, I didn't call it styling, and I didn't even know what it was." (10)

"I liked to combine different things. I'd put her in jeans, but with a somewhat serious blouse and Texan boots... I remember my sister being a bit jealous of my skills. She'd say, 'You do it since you are good at these things,' and I felt very proud." (19)

“There were ready-made outfits, like I remember the ones for cocktails or parties or beach parties, but I didn't like them. What I liked was to mix & match, taking a piece here and combining it with one from there... I would take an Oriental dress, like a geisha, and pair it with some very chunky shoes or boots” (4)

For most interviewees, the creation of a style went beyond the definition of an outfit to include hair and makeup.

"I did it all: I chose the clothes, shoes, bag, and jewelry, and then I combed her hair, and applied lipstick with markers." (7)

"Styling her hair was a lot of fun. I'd give her all sorts of hairstyles. I even cut the hair of a couple of Barbies. My mom got angry because I'd cut it short, but I liked it." (14)

"I was crazy about Holiday Barbie, but I didn't like her hair because it was puffy. So I combed it to try to straighten it and give her a middle parting, which I thought looked cooler." (1)

The creative part of playing with Barbie didn't just involve mixing, matching, and styling—it also encompassed the design and creation of Barbie's clothes. A substantial number of interviewees stated that they "made" some clothes and accessories for Barbie, either by themselves or with the help of adults.

"I had this basic knitting machine that produced knitted tubes, and I'd make dresses, which were essentially tubes. Then, I'd decorate them with beads or pins. It was all very naïve but fun and, looking back, also quite creative." (24)

"My grandmother crocheted the clothes for me. I'd draw them, and she'd make them, and together we'd add details such as buttons." (17)

"I liked the Collector's outfits, such as the Scarlett O'Hara's dress made from curtains, because they were more carefully and elaborately made. I didn't like the others and preferred to make them myself using what I had, fabric scraps, shoelaces, pins, buttons. I had a box with all these things and I literally created the outfits." (12)

For some interviewees, this was a necessity because Barbie's clothes were quite expensive; for others it was a personal initiative unrelated to a real need.

"My family wasn't well-off, and I had a Barbie, which was already a luxury. So I made my own clothes, sometimes with the help of an aunt who knew how to sew a bit. Thinking back, I was lucky because this aunt helped me, and I had the opportunity to create a customized wardrobe, which is what everyone wants today. But, to be honest, I didn't feel lucky at the time; I felt less fortunate than others because they all had the same stuff, and I did not." (6)

"My parents bought me Barbie clothes, but I didn't like them. Those clothes bored me; everyone had them, they were in bright, cloying colors. I wanted something different so I started making them myself, initially in a very basic way and then getting better over time. I'd use fabric scraps that I found at home and that was really fun. Perhaps - and I only realize this now - I didn't like Barbie's clothes because of the materials. They felt unpleasant, synthetic to the touch, and that's why I searched for better fabrics, like leftover silk from a dress my mother had altered or a piece of an old brocade curtain that had been replaced." (18)

Some interviewees point out that their creativity was enhanced by swapping clothes and accessories, which, according to them, was quite common.

"We did this all the time with my cousins. We'd swap Barbie's clothes, and there was a real bargaining. If you give me the evening dress, I'll give you the daytime dress with the jacket, things like that. It was fun and allowed us to change Barbie's style and discover new combinations we wouldn't have thought of on our own." (2)

"Here's a funny story: I used to play with a school friend. We were kids, and we'd swap Barbie's clothes. We were good friends, but then she never returned a Barbie dress that I really loved because it was red, long, with tulle and a stole, and I thought it looked super chic. Anyway, she never returned it, and I don't know why I never asked her, or maybe I did ask her, and she said, 'Yes, I'll bring it to you,' but she never did. So, our friendship ended, because of Barbie's dress!" (21)

It’s important to note that all these creative activities—whether it was styling or designing and making clothes—primarily related to Barbie. All the dolls and fictional characters who created Barbie’s entourage were not involved in this creative process. They were, however, occasionally mentioned by the interviewees; Skipper, Midge, and Stacey appear in the stories of a few 45+ individuals, while Krissy, Belinda, and Leah are mentioned by a few under 45 .

"The fashion doll was Barbie. I mean, I had other dolls like Skipper, who I think was her sister or cousin, but I did not care, I dressed her the same way every time." (9)

"Barbie had a lot of clothes, but the others didn't. It was like Barbie was the princess, and the others were the plain sisters. She was always the bride and the others were always the bridesmaids. I wasn't interested in dressing them up; perhaps I also tried not to dress them too nicely because I didn't want them to overshadow Barbie." (8)

Even Ken didn’t receive the same creative attention that Barbie did. Those who had Ken (about two-thirds of the interviewees) didn't really focus on his outfits, which tended to be basic, nor did they dedicate time and energy to creating new clothes for him. This has probably a lot to do with the fact that, at the time in which our interviewees played with their Barbies and Kens, most children were unfamiliar with the idea of gender-fluid dressing, nor were they  exposed to cross-dressing or gender neutrality—with rare exception, boys dressed as boys, men dressed as men,  and Ken dressed as Ken.

"I don't remember how I dressed Ken. I probably put him in a pair of pants and a shirt, or a t-shirt. He was just an accessory for my Barbies at the time. I always saw him as a sort of toy boy." (13)

"Ken had some clothes, but not many. I certainly never thought of making clothes for Ken because there was less room for imagination. What fun could I possibly have had in making a shirt for him? On the other hand, with Barbie I could let my creativity run wild!" (18)

"My Ken had a Hawaiian shirt, a pair of long pants, and one pair of shorts, and that's it. Barbie, on the other hand, had three boxes full of clothes, but Ken's clothes didn't interest me because he was marginal. He existed in relation to Barbie. Dressing him simply had the purpose of not leaving him naked, but it wasn't meaningful. In this regard, I have to say, the quote from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie stating, ‘Ken is just Ken,’ is actually right. That's how it was for me." (20)

Only one interviewee recalls concentrating on Ken's outfits for a period.

"I had Barbie, but then I asked my parents to buy me a Ken, and I started dressing him. There was a lady who worked as a seamstress and she made clothes for my Ken. I got passionate about it for a while, but then I grew tired of it. At that point, I actually stopped playing with Barbies and Ken altogether." (3)

From doll to lifestyle

For all interviewees, Barbie was never just a doll; she's associated with a wide range of related products that significantly contribute to creating the doll's world and its related collective imagery.

Among the most frequently mentioned items are means of transportation (car, scooter, bike, boat) and various versions of Barbie houses (villa, apartment, beach house, treehouse, etc.)

"I had several Barbie cars to play with, from the white convertible Jeep with a pink roof to the Testarossa Pininfarina Spider, which was red and not pink!" (20)

"I had a Barbie house with an elevator. All the rooms, everything inside it was pink, with tiny furniture, cups, pots, bathroom accessories, and more." (16)

"What defined Barbie, at least for me, was the luxurious lifestyle that allowed her to have so many houses: one on the lake, one in Malibu, the downtown apartment, and even a treehouse." (5)

Less frequently mentioned but still considered, are the pool, the camper van, the restaurant, the closet, the plane, and the helicopter.

"I had the camper van, and I used to play with it a lot. Now it seems a bit strange to me that someone like Barbie, always so impeccably dressed, would go camping. My Barbie used to go camping in a long dress, but at the time it didn't seem like a contradiction to me." (23)

"There was everything, and probably there's even more today. I remember there was the house, the pool, the car, and the plane." (13)

"I had the catamaran, and to be honest I didn't even know what it was exactly, but I knew it was a sort of boat, like a speedboat, and I used it to take my Barbie anywhere." (2)

For the interviewees, these products also played a pivotal role in igniting creativity and defining an aesthetic.

"I put the Barbies in the car, and they arrived in Paris (where I myself had never been) and there was their house. Then I opened the pages of books and art catalogs and used them to create backdrops for the imaginary art galleries and museums in which my Barbies would go. I combined Barbie accessories with what I crafted, and created a story, a world." (11)

"I remember having the pink Barbie car, and with that my Barbie visited cities, palaces, and castles. I imagined very glamorous and sophisticated vacations." (15)

"Like with the clothes, I added my own touch also to the house. I removed some elements and added others. I remember using a china tea set for dolls that I found at my grandmother's house. It was probably too big for Barbie, but I liked it better than the pink plastic one." (22)

"I never had the house but I had the pool. I built the house by myself around the pool and I organized parties with only women, only Barbies, no Kens or other dolls. In my imagination, it was a very exclusive club." (4)

"I inherited Barbie's restaurant from someone, perhaps from the daughter of one of my mother's friends. I transformed it into a house because I didn't like the idea of Barbie running a restaurant. I saw her doing a different job, a more creative and posh job." (1)

In addition to allowing them to develop their creativity, these products introduced the interviewees to the concept of lifestyle. Barbie’s house, her car, her pool, instilled in them, though not in an entirely conscious way, the idea that fashion is not just about clothing but it’s an overall style, a way of living that includes all aspects of life (from how one decorates their home, to the vacation destinations they have, the people they hang out with, etc.).

Conclusion

Among the fashion creatives in the interviewed sample, Barbie influenced the creation of an imaginary world and, consequently, aesthetic and stylistic choices. Hers was not merely an influence related to stylistic elements, but a broader and, in some ways, deeper influence that affected their relationship with fashion.

For almost all the interviewees, Barbie has been an essential tool to understanding and becoming familiar with concepts closely related to the fashion system. Thanks to Barbie and her world, they approached, absorbed, and internalized concepts that would later become relevant to their work.

In particular, Barbie allowed them to: recognize and understand many of the major fashion styles (classic, casual, formal, streetwear, etc.), grasp some of the key concepts related to fashion (such as the idea of a total look or the idea of lifestyle), and understand the meaning of styling, as well as experimenting with mixing clothing, accessories, hair, and makeup styles.

These insights originated from a qualitative study involving a limited number of participants (24 fashion professionals diversified by field of expertise, geographical provenance, and age group). It would be interesting to check these insights on a larger scale through a survey, in order to test which of them had the greatest impact and on which category of professionals.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the professionals who were interviewed and who shared and offered their experience and insights.



Participant information

ID number

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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

Gender

---

F
F
M
F
M
M
F
F
M
F
M
F
F
M
F
F
M
M
M
F
M
M
F
F

Age

---

<25
46-55
>55
25-35
36-45
>55
36-45
36-45
>55
25-35
<25
36-45
46-55
25-35
>55
>55
25-35
<25
>55
36-45
25-3546-55
<25
36-45

Geographic Area

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Italy
Turkey
France
US
UAE
Italy
Argentina
Saudi Arabia
Canada
China
China
US
Germany
Japan
Russia
Italy
Peru
South Korea
Italy
Italy
Brazil
China
Georgia
Italy

Professional Field

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Social media
Product mgmt
Brand mgmt
Styling/photo
Buying
Education
Design
Design
Communication
Styling
Social media
Retail mgmt
Education
Styling
Design
Education
Social media
Styling
Brand mgmt
Communication
Design
Buying
Styling
Education