Five decades after her debut at a New York toy fair, cultural icon Barbie celebrates 50 years of unapologetic glamour. Her fashion credentials are explosive, having worked with: Prada, Azzedine Alaia Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood, and Manolo Blahnik amongst many other style luminaries. In celebration of her 50th anniversary, Mattel has partnered with LA-based Jeremy Scott to produce a clothing collection inspired by Barbie, which debuts exclusively at colette 12 March during Paris fashion week. New partnerships also being lined up include IMG and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which sees Mattel embark on a 3-year partnership with the CFDA in February, also sponsoring IMG’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. And if you can’t wait until then, House of Barbie opens in Shanghai in January, a 35,000 square foot, 8-floor emporium, complete with dedicated spa, runway, and gourmet restaurants; a sensory retail celebration. “For five decades, the Barbie brand has been a beacon of fashion, inspiration and girlhood around the world. In 2009, we are calling upon Barbie’s most fabulous friends in fashion and pop culture to partner with us and continue their relationship with the brand in fun, new ways.” Richard Dickson, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Barbie This is the first time Mattel has endeavoured to reach-out to women who love fashion and beauty through major licensing partnerships. In even more exciting news Christian Louboutin is designing pumps in iconic Barbie Pantone 219 Pink, which will make their debut at the special runway show that Mattel Inc. is staging during New York fashion week next February. Fifty as-yet-undisclosed designers will produce Barbie-inspired outfits for the runway, and each of the 50 models will be wearing the pink Louboutins at the show.