Kartell and Mattel Creations unveil Barbie x Kartell at Milan Design Week

Mattel announces that the Barbie brand and Italian design company, Kartell, have come together to launch a brand-new collection of toys and consumer products. The multifaceted collaboration will see the toy production of five of the most iconic chair designs from Kartell (A.I., Venice, Louis Ghost, Masters, Ero/s) in actual doll size, all with a Barbie-inspired twist. The limited collection showcases elevated product design and delves into the future of plastics through innovative materials that keep sustainability in mind, including bamboo material and 100% FSC recycled paper packaging. The line also represents the first Barbie Signature collection featuring Barbie doll-sized furniture design only.

Kartell also showcases five adult-sized reproductions of the entire collection during Milan Design Week 2024, with a limited run of the Barbie brand’s Masters and Louis Ghost chairs available exclusively for Barbie fans. Kim Culmone, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Doll Design for Mattel, says “Mattel Creations is our umbrella brand for premium collaborations and collectibles, which is why we are honoured to partner Barbie with Kartell - transforming furniture into art, while paying homage to some of Kartell’s most iconic pieces. Barbie has long been an international icon and inspiration and the brand continues to spark conversation, creativity, and self-expression. In this collaboration, Mattel and Kartell, whose relationship has spanned over 15 years, come together once again in a visually striking way, appealing to the design and collector community.”

“We are delighted to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Barbie through a new collaboration,” states TM Lorenza Luti, Kartell’s Marketing and Retail Director. “This latest partnership between Kartell and Mattel highlights the values of creativity, innovation and elegance that our two companies share. Kartell chairs have always been symbols of design and innovation in the world of furnishing, just as Barbie has always been a great example of style for generations of children and adults. The recent film has only confirmed the brand's lasting attraction and her role as a model. By bringing these two realities together in a single initiative, we can now offer the public a new interpretation of Kartell's design. The transformation of our chairs into irresistible toys for Kartell fans of all ages has also allowed us to extend our partnership with Mattel after our recent success with I Componibili and UNO playing cards,” she adds.

Mattel Creations is the ultimate expression of Mattel’s creative power, offering unique collectibles created for and by creators, collaborators, and innovators who share a love and nostalgia for the brands in Mattel’s portfolio. Mattel has a long-term collaboration approach with Kartell. Recently in 2023, Mattel and Kartell launched the UNO X Kartell card game and together plan to showcase the Barbie collection at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the largest global event for the furnishing and design sector.

At the show during the design festival, the Barbie x Kartell collection will be on display at the Mattel Creations pop-up at Condenast’s The Vogue Italia Closet taking over one of the five exhibition rooms starting on April 16, 2024. As part of this weeklong design exhibition, Mattel Creations will be displaying a few past collaborations and showcasing how Mattel Creations acts as a white canvas for the most innovative creators, designers, and artists of today and tomorrow, where toys become art, and art becomes toys. 

Stay tuned with STIR's coverage of Milan Design Week 2024 which showcases the best of exhibitions, studios, designers, installations, brands and events to look out for. Explore EuroCucina and all the design districts—Fuorisalone, 5vie Design Week, Isola Design Week, Brera Design District and Porta Venezia Design District.