meet Robert Best, Principal Designer for Barbie Collector

the handsome Mr. Best

Barbie is 50 and fabulous! But don’t take our word for it. Ask Robert Best, instead. He is the Principal Designer for Barbie Collector. On Friday, June 10, 2009, Mr. Best agreed to speak with us at the Barbie doll’s 50th Anniversary Convention held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC from July 7, 2009 to July 11, 2009. 

Q: Hello.It’s a pleasure to speak with you Mr. Best, Principal Designer for Barbie Collector. So how long have you been in that position?

Robert: HI! I have been working at Mattel for 15 years now. Who knew?

Q: So what does a Principal Designer for Barbie Collector do?

Robert: As Principle Designer for Barbie you are responsible for everything. It’s a very head to toe kind of job. I am responsible for the look, which includes the style of hair, make up and of course all of the accessories, the shoes, the jewelry, and everything the doll is going to be wearing. I also oversee the packaging. So I am really like an Art Director in a lot of ways because I have to handle the entire look.

Q: That is amazing because Barbie has really changed over the years. Who is the 2009 Barbie?

Robert: The 2009 Barbie is a very active, healthy girl of today. I think she's very plugged in to everything that is going on, including trends and fashions that you see on the runway. Barbie is very relevant and is always current. Barbie is very much a reflection of the popular culture that surrounds her.

One of his collections

Q: We love Barbie and we love her new blog, website and her Twitter updates. She’s fabulous! http://barbiestyle.barbie.com/

Robert: Barbie is absolutely plugged in.

Q: Please describe the beautiful gown that you designed to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Barbie!

Robert: The gown is called Generations of Dreams and it was inspired by the doll of the same name. The gown features a collage of different images of Barbie throughout the years, from her very first 1959 swimsuit up to today. Everyone has a Barbie story and everyone remembers the doll of their generation. Hence the name: “Generation of Dreams.” The [Generations of Dreams] gown is a fun couture take on a wacky idea.

Q: How long did it take to create?

Robert: The gown itself took…it feels like years. But it probably took a few weeks. We had a team in New York sewing and creating the first pattern. We had people in LA doing the beading. It was shipped to Australia. Then it was shipped back to the US. It will be traveling all over the country. The gown is better traveled than i am actually. Lol.

Q: WOW! It’s been a pleasure. Thank you so much for speaking with us.

Robert: It’s been a pleasure.

A few fun facts about the Generations of Dream Gown on display at the Convention:

Eight experts from New York to Los Angeles used 15 yards of pink duchesse satin and silk organza to create the life-size gown. The bodice and skirt are adorned with 50 patchwork prints representing over 50 years of Barbie artwork. Each patch is outlined in countless iridescent sequins, shimmery Swarovski crystals and beautiful delicate trim!

Some of Mr.Best's Sketches for Barbie:

When Doll becomes a Legend

Did you know the original Barbie was named for a real young lady from California named Barbara Handler? It's true! Barbie, the teen fashion doll that debuted in 1959 was created by Barbara's mom, Ruth Handler, who named the doll after her daughter and the rest is doll history.

The First Ever Barbie

It all started in the late 1950s, when Ruth Handler noticed that her young daughter, Barbara, and her friends really liked to play with adult dolls rather than the common baby dolls that were common at the time. These adult dolls weren't three-dimensional, they were all made out of cardboard or paper, so Ruth began to design a three-dimensional adult doll that would make her daughter and her friends happy.

Handler and her husband Elliot had created the Mattel Toy Company in their garage, but by the late 50s it had grown to include a group of ad executives who quickly vetoed Ruth's initial idea and design. They thought the doll would be too expensive to produce and had little long-term appeal. Now we know how wrong they were!

Undaunted, Ruth continued with her idea. She traveled to Europe and when she returned she brought a German doll named "Lilli" with her. Redesigned, Lilli became Barbie, and Ruth continued to pester the Mattel executives until they agreed to produce the doll. The original patent date is 1958. Ruth even hired a fashion designer, Charlotte Johnson, to create a fashionable wardrobe for the doll.

Barbie, with her distinctive blonde ponytail and black and white striped stretch bathing suit made her debut at the 1959 American Toy Fair in New York City, and took the toy world by storm. The dolls literally flew off the shelves. Mattel set a toy selling record the first year Barbie debuted, selling 351, 000 dolls the first year. In ten short years, parents would spend $500 million on Barbie products for their clamoring youngsters.

Skipper. Barbie's best friend :)

Barbie was the first fashion doll, and she spawned many spin-offs, but she and her "family" of dolls are simply the most popular in history. Barbie gets at least 100 new clothing designs every year, and because they produce so many Barbie outfits each year, Mattel has become the biggest garment manufacturer in the world.

Today, Barbie has come a long way from that fashion doll who debuted in 1959. She has sisters, a boyfriend, and represents nearly 100 different nationalities. However, collectors prize the original Barbie and her 50s wardrobe above all else. Barbie and her clothing are one of the most popular collectibles in the world today, and a mint-condition original Barbie can sell as high as $10,000. So, check the attic, the basement, and the storage boxes for your old Barbie treasures. They could be more valuable than you think, and even if they aren't, they'll bring back lots of fond fashion memories!

Some Barbie Trivia:

• The first Barbie cost $3.
• Today, more than 1 billion Barbie's have been sold
• The Ken doll was named for Ruth and Elliot Handler's son
• At first, Barbie was a teenaged fashion model, but she's had over 80 careers since then, from astronaut to a medic in Desert Storm.
• Barbie's full name is "Barbie Millicent Roberts."
• Barbie didn't have a belly button until 2000.
• Two Barbies are sold every second around the world.
• There's an official Barbie collectors site at: http://www.barbiecollector.com/

Simple lines into Lines.

 Today I’ll introduce you into the world of a very talented fashion illustrator: Judith Van Den Hoek whose artwork brought my attention with its simplicity and its precise and delicate details. Although most of her drawings are sketched, using cutting edge artistic techniques, and drawing her inspiration from the world around her, these illustrators give us visions of her perfect muse. 

FRED BUTLER S/S 2012 COLLECTION

Fred Butler’s last collection for S/S 2012 shows her iconoclastic approach to accessories and signature psychedelic use of color. Inspired by a vivid Technicolor palette,  extraordinary forms and fluid movements of certain aquatic creatures Fred juxtaposed the most magnificent show pieces with the first true commercial line. This season you can see the designer’s collaboration with artistRosy Nicholas realized through the shoes for the collection and models are seen wearing neoprene playsuits taken from a design sourced from Fred Butler’s degree collection.