River Island launches Barbie anniversary kidswear collection

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 12, 2019

Pop culture properties continue to be big sellers when applied to fashion product from Hello Kitty to Smiley and comic book heroes, so the new River Island x Barbie collection launching this week has lots of potential to make an impact.

Despite the huge appeal of such properties to adults, this time it’s a kidswear line and it’s actually the first kidswear collab between Barbie and the UK fashion retailer.

Launching in celebration of Barbie’s 60th anniversary, the range is dance- and streetwear-inspired, with a monochrome and (unsurprisingly) pink theme throughout, paying homage to the original Barbie monochrome outfit.   

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The new collection includes a black hoodie with a holographic print and the Barbie logo, a matching pink logo tee, leggings, a one-sleeved dance-inspired top, and a graphic top emblazoned with the Barbie slogan You Can Be Anything. 

The collection takes in a wide children’s age range going from 0 to age 10 with prices starting from £14.

Gemma Daniels, Softlines Manager at Mattel UK, highlighted the frenetic pace of activity around the anniversary this year with Barie launching products across fashion, homewares, stationery and more. Activity this year has include collaborations across Europe with Primark, Samsonite, Puma, Sephora, Moleskine, and the Barbie Store Fashion Pop Up currently in Liverpool One. 

“The River Island collaboration is part of a strategic move to offer kids apparel with fashion-forward collaborators,” she said.