Barbie will receive the Board of Directors' Special Tribute at 2019 CFDA fashion awards

Barbie is the iconic fashion doll. She’s the one that defines what a fashion doll is, the one that started it all. She has gone through the whole history of contemporary fashion since 1959, the year of her creation. She has collaborated with many well known fashion designers and icons, beginning in 1985 with Oscar De La Renta: Yves Saint-Laurent, Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, Givenchy, Giorgio Armani, Versace, Moschino, Vera Wang, Donna Karan, Christian Louboutin, Hervé Léger, Ralph Lauren, Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Zac Posen, Byron Lars, Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows, Judith Leiber, Escada, Kate Spade, Nicole Miller, Todd Oldham, Diane Von Furstenberg, Burberry, Hanae Mori, Bill Blass and others. So it is only fitting that in the year of her 60th anniversary, the Council of Fashion Designers of America will honour her with the Board of Directors’ Special Tribute.

Richard Dickson, Mattel’s President and Chief Operation Officer, said : “It is a tremendous honour for Barbie to be recognised by the CFDA Board of Directors for her contributions to American fashion. For the past six decades, Barbie has inspired and been inspired by fashion and creative communities. Barbie has had the great privilege of collaborating with some of the greatest designer of our time and this award is a moment to celebrate her lasting influence.”

Bill Blass Barbie

Bill Blass Barbie

Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the CFDA, said: “Barbie has had such wide influence on American fashion and culture. Her story personally resonates with so many CFDA members that the Board of Directors decided to honor her with the special tribute.”

The 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards will be held on June 3rd at the Brooklyn Museum.

Basic Barbie styled by CFDA Designers


Barbie, as most collectors know already, is no stranger to real-life designers making outfits for her. She celebrated her 50th Anniversary last year with a spectacular runway show at New York Fashion Week. Mattel recently introduced the Barbie Basics dolls, who come wearing little black dresses, have various skin colours and haistyles. Five acessory kits were also introduced to allow the owners to personalize their look. To celebrate the launch, 12 of the top CFDA designers have dressed some of these basic Barbies: Tory Burch, Isaac Mizrahi, Rachel Roy, Justin Giunta, Lorraine Schwartz, Alexis Bittar, Monica Botkier, Deborah Lloyd of Kate Spade, Philip Crangi, Albertus Swanepoel and Devi Kroell, all gave the perennial fashion doll some stylish garments, recycling their own iconic pieces.

Tory Burch


Kate Spade

Justin Giunta

Lorraine Schwartz

Isaak Mizrahi

Devi Kroell

Rachel Roy

Monica Botkier

Alberuts Swanepoel

Phillip Crangi

Each of the one-of-a-kind dolls will be auctioned off on Ebay. The proceeds will benefit the CFDA Foundation and the organization's scholarship and educational programs. The auction goes live on January 28th at 10pm EST and will run through February 7th. To bid visit Ebay.com.

All photos courtesy of Mattel Inc.