Vans Embraces Barbie Mania With New Sneaker and Apparel Collection Inspired by Mattel’s Doll
Amina Ayoud
Assistant Digital Editor
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Vans is officially hopping on the Barbie bandwagon. The brand is the latest to release a collaboration with Mattel inspired by the famous doll, following the success of Greta Gerwig‘s megahit movie — “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie as the main character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, has reportedly crossed the $500 million mark worldwide at the box office since it s release on July 21.
With the new 10-piece collection, Vans takes a deep dive into the Barbie mania with a dreamy ’90s-inspired hot-pink collection, which was released on Thursday.
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Merging Barbie’s signature pink hues and Vans’ grunge and skate culture-inspired aesthetics, the collaborative effort features four footwear styles, including the Sk8-Hi Tapered Stackform, and more Barbie-inspired accessories and apparel. Each shoe featured in the collaborative collection features ’90s-esque prints in pink-centric styles, including whimsical patterns and dainty details.
The aforementioned Sk8-Hi Tapered Stackform is seemingly the star of the collection. Cast in white and bright pink hues, the sneaker features a high-top silhouette with pastel pink trim, sleek white lace-up closures, Barbie “B” charm detailing, signature rubber waffle outsoles and lofty pink platform soles that offer the wearer a boost.
Beyond the Sk8-Hi Tapered Stackform, the collection also includes an AuthenticStackform in “Barbie Pink” in a similar platform style, a bow-embellished Style 93 DX in “Barbie White/ Pink” and cushy psychedelic printed Slide-On VR3Crush in Barbie “Trippy/Multi.”
The apparel and accessories featured in the collection include a crop top featuring a psychedelic print, Barbie pink overalls, a cutesie mini backpack and a breezy top that incorporates a multi-colored swirl pattern.
Barbiecore is a viral trend on everyone’s lips. Vans, Primark, Cotton On, Kendra Scott, Cold Stone, Aldo, Pac Sun, Bloomingdales, GAP, Rue21, Impala Skate and even Burger King are just some of the companies that have capitalized off of the success of “Barbie.”
How to shop the Vans x Barbie collection?
You can shop the full Vans x Barbie collection now at Vans retail locations and at Vans.com. Prices range from $40 to $115.
Barbie Collections
Since the first trailer of the “Barbie” movie was released earlier this year, multiple brands started working on their own collections inspired by Mattel’s doll. Besides Vans, other footwear brands such as Crocs, Superga and Aldo have stepped into Barbie land with new pink-filled shoe collections. Other brands like Zara, Kendra Scott and Fossil have also taken Barbie to the real world with their collections.
Influencer Shay Mitchell’s travel bag brand Béis also released a capsule inspired by the Barbie dolls and the live-action movie, which also stars Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Dua Lipa, America Ferrera and more. In the campaign for the collection, Mitchell channeled Barbie energy, posing in a pink kitschy scenario that even included Barbie’s Corvette convertible.
“Barbie” Movie
“Barbie” sees Mattel’s doll on a journey from Barbieland to the real world — or Los Angeles, to be more specific. Gerwig cowrote the movie with her longtime partner Noah Baumbach. The couple previously collaborated on the screenplay for their 2012 dramedy “Frances Ha.”
“Barbie” scored the biggest domestic premiere for a woman-directed movie and became the biggest opening at the box office of 2023, making $356.3 million globally on its opening weekend.
About the Author:
Amina Ayoud is an Assistant Digital Editor for Footwear News, where she writes stories about everything from celebrity style to breaking fashion and shoe releases. Ayoud cultivated a love of all things fashion early in life thanks to a deep love of fashion history and the luxury industry. In her free time, Ayoud is a self-proclaimed fashion nerd and thriftaholic.
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