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Barbie was our only childhood companion. Cindy and Bratz dolls could never quite match up to our best pal and we always loved her, promise, even that time we were curious what she’d look like with a shaved head. She worked it, needless to say. For 2016, the once universal doll is taking on three new styles. In March, Barbie will be available in petite, tall and curvy models setting a body positive example for girls (and boys!) everywhere.

March will see the introduction of – brace yourself – 33 new dolls, 30 new hair colours, 24 hair styles, 22 eye colours, 14 face sculpts, 7 skin tones AND 4 body types. To celebrate the news, we recount some of Barbie’s best collaborations in fashion since her launch in 1959.

Barbie x Stephen Jones

Our best girl got the angel treatment by Stephen Jones for Christmas 2011. The milliner reworked Barbz into a festive wonder for Selfridges in crimson and green and obviously with the most divine headgear. Glitzy miniature trees complete with baubles, twirling body-encasing Santa hats and even a microscopic robin all upped Barbie’s hat game for the 2011 holidays.

Barbie x Nasir Mazhar

Never one to miss out on trends, Barbie teamed up with London streetwear darling Nasir Mazhar in 2013. Sporting his signature caps and instantly recognisable namesake logo, we could have replicated any of Barbie’s looks from the mini-collection and been the best-dressed at fashion week.

Barbie x Comme Des Garçons

Way back when in 2009 CDG launched their uber-ladylike Ms Roberts (Barbie’s full anme is Barbara Millicent Roberts, in case you didn’t already know). Wearing the brand’s jingle flower print, the doll was super exclusive, as we’d expect, sold only in Comme stores, Dover Street Market and Colette.

Barbie x Moschino

Warning: the jingle to this clip will stick in your head for days. 2015’s Moschino Barbie had every unabashedly bling accessory we’d ever dreamed of owning. “She’s the girl who has it all, nothing can stop her”, we like to think we’d be feeling unstoppable too if we had a custom 8-piece Moschino capsule collection. Also, how adorable is the little guy? Gender roles? What gender roles?

Barbie x Karl Lagerfeld

When Karl took on Barbie he basically dressed her up as himself, but we’ll forgive him, he is Karl Lagerfeld after all. All in black and white complete with sunnies and patent handbag, all Karl’s Barbie is missing is a tiny Choupette.

Barbie x Sophia Webster

Barbie and Sophia Webster collaborated last year to mark her new articulated ankles which allowed to wear flats – a good enough reason to celebrate if we ever heard one. Even better was the fact that you could buy your own Sophia Webster shoes in six adult styles and three children’s. Blonde bombshell soul-pop singer Kali Uchis was the face of the IRL collection, an all round dream.

Barbie x BLEACH London

Four years ago Barbie got all technical on us with an innovative makeover system from BLEACH London. Using an inkjet printer and extensions, you could create your own coloured locks for Barbie at home. You could design absolutely anything online then print onto Barbie’s blonde base. We went through quite a few trying to work out what we wanted to do on ourselves…

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Eau D’ Bedroom Dancing from Joseph Delaney.

Rollacoaster returns this January, kicking off 2016 with the freshest faces of season. For our SS16 menswear issue, White Cube artist, club-kid and all-round troublemaker Eddie Peake reworked our logo across two limited edition covers. Inside, he discusses life as one of Britain’s most fascinating young creatives, and offers us a few never-before-seen artworks.

Cover star, Prada’s new poster-boy and Glue actor Billy Howle talks to Nellie Eden, we shine a light on Olympic Gold-winner and serial record breaker Max Whitlock, and Wolf Hall’s Edward Holcroft walks us through the weird, weird world of Hollywood 2016.

We swap truths with genre-defying dancehall-pop crossover J-Hus and Kanye-cohort Novelist and chat to the likes of Martine Rose, Christopher Shannon and Nasir Mazhar about the Fashion Space Gallery’s breaking menswear exhibition, Mad About The Boy. All this, and the most exciting, out-there menswear fashions of now.

Treat yourself to a taster of the issue with all of the boys from our fashion cover lip syncing to Bikini Kill’s “Riot Girl”, shot by Joseph Delaney. Dreamy.

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All Black Everything

Much like last season, nigh on every piece shown for AW16 was black. From cottons, to leathers, linens to jersey, it was texture that became Nasir Mazhar’s colour for the colder months. Bombers and track pants were puckered tightly in repeats, while waxy gore-tex was puffed at the biceps and forearms, and bound with ribbon at natural joints — imagine if Velázques painted London’s street wearing youth. Kind of. Signature hats, and the new pencil-wielding buckets, were black and brand-less too — all a rather far cry from the hi-brand Nasir that exploded on to the scene a while back. But the all black thing is commercially clever — customers don’t have to be concerned with the next colour palette or branding bands, but instead the colourless feel makes each collection mixable, trendless, and essentially layerable with seasons to come, and seasons past. Seeing as Nas is the definition of a cult brand, this continuity will perhaps sustain his band of devotees a little while longer.

Matrix x Mad Max

Cyberpunk met desert-warrior in cut and composition. Boys and girls were hoisted into padded armoury which was strapped about the body, contorting the lines of the puffa-panelled long fitted coats — some sleeveless, some sleeve-full. Huge head-dresses constructed of sweater sleeves and black perspex served to distort and hide the face, while a kind of shoulder-to-face bullet proof accessory climbed up the side of one particularly muscular body. New Rock boots clanked their way across the runway in true Furiosa style (finally they’re back), and one particularly clever look took the business suit — waistcoat and briefcase included — and subverted it into super-street by use of thick, scratchy polyester.

Let me see that tho-o-ong

It was refreshing to see the über cool Nasir be a little more playful in his designs. The standout piece was the cheese-wire-thin strappy halter-neck leotards that exposed as much flesh as they covered. These criss-crossed the body like uneven fishnets, and eventually wound up south in a teeny tiny thong. Modelled by both the boys and the girls, with super low slung pants to expose bum cleavage (thank you Sibling), the thong vibes were enough to have Sisqo making a come back. It would be lazy to say that there was not much change from last season. Yes, the pieces were based around the same aesthetic, but simultaneously Mazhar provided a more flamboyant, yet more skilful, collection that is sure to satisfy the cult of Nas, and his many other fans everywhere.

Photographer: Thurstan Redding

Words: Tom Rasmussen

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Pavement Predators

Emerging to the instantly recognisable staccato syllables of “Pre-di-tah”, Mazhar’s boys and girls were dressed like Action Man and Lara Croft ready to hit some clubs in the East. Utilitarian straps caged bare thighs and chests with gun slings worn alone like waistcoats. Even the prints were like a blurred cityscape camouflage, splashed on almost everything, right down to the bulked up trainers. Accessories came in the form of caps, oversized backpacks, bumbags and the standout piece: a hat complete with full-frontal headgear, blocking the face of the model with bars.

Greyscale

Only one colour was on the menu, black and lots of it. A stark contrast again the skin flashing beneath cutouts, it highlighted the shapes of every piece, or the lack of, with some models covered from the neck down. Prints came in coated cracked greys which shone like wet pebbledash walls in the sun under the hot white lights. We were said to see only a handful of the brand’s signature ‘Nasir Mazhar’ logos emblazoned across waistbands but they weren’t needed as Mazhar’s style becomes even more recognisable.

Girls Allowed

It isn’t exactly unheard of for designers to show womenswear at LCM but Mazhar’s ability to accommodate both feminine and masculine shapes in such a cohesive collection is remarkable. The vibe was the same throughout but the ladies were treated to bralets, ribbon details and ballooning silhouettes on the arms of slashed crop jackets as well as flowing dusters, contrasting with fluidity and curved lines to the angular menswear.

Words: Lily Walker

Photography: Thurstan Redding

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Go East

Transitioning from his usual in your face sportswear, this season Nasir looked to the Middle East for inspiration, introducing decadent fabrics and new less structured silhouettes. A new Nasir Mazhar women was born. Aladdin’s Jasmine just got decked out in Nasir and has taken to the streets. It’s the kind of thing you could have imagined TLC digging for an Asian tour.

Fierce

Of course, just because Nasir moved away from a strictly sportswear tag that didn’t mean his name wasn’t emblazoned on everything from cropped bra tops to thigh high suspender-chaps. Nasir’s woman was as fierce as ever.

Girl Gang

In true Nasir style the girls looked the real deal, with jagged angular head wear and black and white block colour stained lips Nasir’s street cast girl gang were effortlessly cool in pulling off something that not many could carry.

Words: Brooke McCord

Photography: Jamike Latif

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This season Nasir Mazhar sent twenty-one bodacious power-punching looks down the runway at LC:M and as ever it was all all-branded autobiographical emblazoned montage of luxury urbanity, speaking the visual language symptomatic to the UK Garage scene.

Decked out in strap clad jackets with lighter slots, three quarter basket shorts, peaked Bully Cap’s equipped with pencil holders, cobalt blue and bronze metallic jacquards, re-invented pinstripe shirts with Nasir Mazhar headed pockets and branded technical body armour in various other guises, this seasons fashion fighters bombarded their way down the catwalk showcasing another riotous eruption of the designer’s trademark absurdist originality.

Another measured step in the development of the core Nasir Mazhar uniform, SS15 saw his vision further solidified. Soundtracked by grime frontman Skepta, the mix was created in collaboration with Red Bull Catwalk Studios as part of their continued work bringing together bright young emerging talent from both the fashion and music spheres, which we talked to Nasir about last week.

However, the fiasco did not cease après-catwalk. Taking to Metropolis Strip Club, Bethnal Green, the after-party saw jaw-dropping pole dancers perform scantily-clad in Nasir Mazhar attire, whilst Skepta took to the stage, cementing the Metropolis dance floor as one of the most hallowed of L:CM.

Fully immersed in Mazhar’s vision from show-start to party-end, it’s safe to say he is ardently passionate about what he creates.

Words: Brooke McCord

Photography: Amy Beasley

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One of the UK’s most exciting menswear designers renowned for his fully immersive, all-branded, logo-emblazoned, new-rock influenced, gas-masked model catwalk fiasco’s has teamed up with UK grime frontman Skepta, in collaboration with Red Bull Catwalk Studio for his AW15 L:CM show soundtrack and after-show party.

Arguably one of the most anticipated collaborations at this year’s L:CM showcase, the partnership is a continuation of Red Bull Catwalk Studio’s tradition of uniting the most captivating of young contemporary emerging talents from both the spheres of fashion and music.

Whilst neither party needs an introduction, Skepta’s grime sounds have previously acted as inspiration for Mazhar’s work, with the designer frequently looking to the genre of grime to accompany his presentations. So whilst there was no better fit, the duo have spent the last two months at Red Bull Studios creating an original soundtrack for the show which takes place this Tuesday June 17^th, at which Skepta will walk in a custom designed Nasir Mazhar jacket born from the collaboration. Following the show, the full Nasir experience will be continued at the Nasir Mazhar X Skepta party at Bethnal Green’s Metropolis strip club. We caught up with Nasir himself to hear more about the partnership…

Tell us about the collaboration so far…

Nasir Mazhar: Basically I came to Nina at Redbull with an ideawe wanted to make to come to life and really realize that idea. It’s perfect because Sceptre’s a legend, he’s such a pro, so it’s perfect, a perfect match. We’re working on an original soundtrack to the show produced by Skepta and then we’re working on the after show party as well – the line up, the flow of the line-up, the imagery, visuals, DJ’s and such. It’s like curating basically. It’s the first time that I’ve been able to work with a professional musician, producing a track specifically for us, really taking into consideration the seating music, the intro music, the journey that the music takes you on, the kind of emotions it’s going to evoke and what it’s going to make you think, feel and believe.

So a fully immersive experience really. So will it mirror the music you listen to whilst you work on your collections?

NM: Well I do listen to all sorts of music, well not all sorts, but I listen to a lot of things. Different music for different things.When I really need to concentrate and try to find that place in my head, I’ll listen to something more chilled like Kelela – she’s been on repeat. Like a weeks repeat as well. But when I’m more creative, so actually making something and designing something or trying to draw something, trying to drape something, trying to physically make something – I put on grime. Just because it evokes so much energy in me. So much energy.

It’s such a powerful, energetic sound…

NM: It’s because the music itself is really original. For me personally, it encourages original thought. The music is so original to me that it influences the originality in me. The whole world of it, you know? The whole world of grime and sound, like the aesthetic sound of grime, if that makes sense? It really inspires me.

That totally makes sense. What about the collection can you give anything away?

A lot of designing is done while making, so there’s a lot of draping. We always do the masks, we’re always into that. It comes from my hat making background. It’s hard to say what to expect because the collection is never a concept, it’s never based on one specific thing. Personally I would say it’s like a new wardrobe for me, almost like a new uniform. Not that only I wait for, but loads of other people have been waiting for people wear it head to toe. So really it’s about developing, not only that aesthetic, but also that product, the uniform. As in the cap, the holster, the sweat top, the jogging bottoms, two-piece suit, three piece suit, tracksuit obviously – it’s about developing that product range.

I understand when people do something completely different every season, I totally get it, and it’s really exciting. But for me, personally, it is about doing something different and exciting each season but with the same aesthetic and customer – their aesthetic and my aesthetic won’t change. It’s really about the developing of a product. So expect to see a lot of what you’ve seen before, developed, because it has been new. It is like a progression, lets just wait and see…

Excited, isn’t the word!

The Nasir Mazhar X Skepta SS15 soundtrack will be available on the Red Bull Catwalk Studio website from Tuesday June 17^th.

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It was hard to pin-point Nasir Mazhar’s specific inspiration for AW14, a mixture of nineties TLC and cholas was the overall feel we got from Nasir’s gang of bad girls.
They stomped down the catwalk to a grime soundtrack in heavy boots and sporty silhouettes. An array of crop tops and mini skirts in blue, pink and gold lurex edged with bands of Nasir’s signature black and white branding, which also appeared peaking out of shorts like boxers reminiscent of the late great Aaliyah.

Speaking of 90’s hip hop icons, the faces of TLC members were stitched on the pockets of jackets, and although the collection had a tough, street vibe to it fur trims helped add a feminine edge. With that in mind however, everything from the styling to the hair and make up to the street-cast models attitude made it clear these are the kind of girls you don’t mess with.
Like his last menswear offering, models wore Bane-esque gas mask-headgear and backwards caps adding to the streetwear feel.

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Remember crying and begging your parents to get you every single variation of Totally Hair Barbie? This is kind of how we feel about these new Barbie one-offs.

To celebrate the launch of Selfridges London’s Toy Shop this week, Barbie has asked Fred Butler, Nasir Mazhar and Sister by Sibling to dress five one-off dolls that will be sold as exclusive collectables. It’s not the first time Barbie has visited the Sister by Sibling studio – she was photographed for its AW12 collection – but we daresay the Sibling trio of Cozette McCreery, Sid Bryan and Joe Bates have gone even bigger than before. And because they’re thoughtful like that, they even outfitted her dog.

Fred Butler, on the other hand, has eschewed the big, comfy knits and gone full-on conceptual (above) – which is only appropriate, given that she used to practice her design skills on a Barbie. “I basically spent the majority of my childhood playtime making outfits for my Barbie,” she says. “When I was given a little boutique set for her, I had died and gone to heaven. The fascination never went so when I eventually studied fashion design, I used to create mock-up shapes on a Barbie.”

Meanwhile, Nasir Mazhar has recreated his London Collections: Men debut collection for Barbie, decking her out in his cult box peak cap and his classic waistband logo. “I never realised how intricate it would be to recreate my collection in miniature for Barbie,” Mazhar admitted. As for the doll in his infamous bucket hat, it’s none other than Ken. “It was good to include Ken too so he could chaperone her.”

Real talk, though – where she’s going, Barbie doesn’t need no chaperones. After all, not every lady gets to be President, astronaut and CEO in their 50 year career.

Words: Zing Tsjeng (Follow Zing on Twitter @misszing)