Barbie's Malibu beach house, her pink convertible, and her résumé are enough to make just about anyone jealous of an inanimate object, but her latest style move is sure to put her over the top. For its latest collaboration, Mattel enlisted Marni Senofonte — the woman behind Beyoncé's Lemonade and Formation World Tour looks — for a one-of-a-kind collection of outfits that channel Queen B's singular style and Barbie's own fashion M.O.
"[Barbie] was like the first kind of object that I was able to express [creativity] through clothing," Senofonte told InStyle, "And I went to Catholic school. I had to wear a uniform my whole life, which was a nightmare for somebody like me. [Playing with Barbie] was a relief, it was therapy."
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Like many people, Senofonte points to Barbie as her entry point into the world of fashion and styling. Only most people don't make a whole career out of playing dress-up. For the Marni Senofonte x Barbie collection, inspired by Mattel's Barbie Fashionistas range, which includes dolls of various sizes and skin colors, Senofonte created a collection of remixed denim, Victorian looks reminiscent of Lemonade, and a slick injection of streetwear influences.
"When I saw all of these shapes and sizes — that alone was the inspiration," Senofonte adds. "We have so many different sized women, and it's like — especially the bigger women, they always feel like there's nothing that fits them or makes them look cute. It was just so important to me with the Barbie collection to show a curvy woman or a shorter woman that it's all possible."
The line isn't available for purchase, but you can check out every look on Barbie Style's Instagram page. Inclusivity was a major issue for Senofonte, so she included looks for all of the different dolls and styled their hair into amazing Afros and braids along with topknots and slick blowouts. Senofonte hopes that the Barbie Fashionistas line and her collection of inclusive looks become the new normal. While Barbie has faced criticism in the past, the Marni Senofonte x Barbie collection is fierce and inclusive, which is definitely reason to celebrate.
"It's been an extraordinary experience seeing my vision come to life through Barbies of different sizes and colors, all looking fly!" Senofonte said on Barbie Style's Instagram.