America’s Favorite Fashion Divas – Hilary Duff and Barbie Doll – Join Forces to Launch New Doll and Fashion Collection

This fall, two global fashionistas – Hilary Duff and Barbie® doll – are teaming up under one “design house” to unveil Barbie® Fashions Designed by Hilary Duff dolls and fashions. Adding a fresh new style to the Barbie® brand’s popular Fashion Fever™ line of doll apparel and accessories, the Barbie® Fashions Designed by Hilary Duff collection fuses classic styling with street fashion and showcases many of this season’s must-have looks.

Joining the excitement of Los Angeles Fashion Week, Barbie® and stuff by hilary duff ‘tween fashion label designer Hilary Duff today hosted a girls-only Fashion Show at Smashbox Studios in Los Angeles, where girls previewed the Barbie® Fashions Designed by Hilary Duff line on the runway and – with Hilary’s help – styled Fashion Fever™ looks for their own Barbie® dolls.

Hilary has designed 11 different head-to-toe outfits under the Barbie® Fashions Designed by Hilary Duff label. The collection includes apparel and accessories that reflect Hilary’s personal style and her favorite fashion picks for fall – including stripes, denim and faux fur and accessories in always-fashionable black. With both “sweet” and “rocker” styles, the fall collection offers looks that girls of all ages will love.

“It was really cool to work with Mattel’s designers and my own team, using styles and themes inspired by my own stuff by hilary duff ‘tween fashion label to create a fashion collection for Barbie®. I’ve always been a big fan of Barbie® – she’s the most fashionable doll in the world and so many top fashion designers have designed for her. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lend my own ideas and design inspirations to Barbie® doll’s look and I know girls are going to love it!” said Hilary.

“Barbie® and Hilary are the perfect design duo,” said Jamie Wood, vice president, Barbie Marketing, Mattel Brands. “Not only are Barbie® and Hilary two of the most stylish entertainers, actors and fashion designers, but they also show girls that there are no limits to what they can do.”

Like Barbie®, Hilary is a fashion and design phenomenon, having proven, brand-name success with her ‘tween fashion label of affordable couture stuff by hilary duff (launched fall 2005), now at Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, Claire’s, Kmart, JC Penney and a dozen other retailers. Hilary’s extensive travel around the world, keen eye for street fashion influences and regular runway show attendance – and the hosting of her own stuff by hilary duff fashion show – has evolved her personal sense of style and taste, helping her create trend-forward lines for mass and mid-tier retailers, specialty stores and many markets abroad.

Barbie® doll – continuing to reign as the No. 1 fashion themed doll in the U.S.1 – has also been in the fashion spotlight for decades, leveraging unparalleled sense of style to partner with the crème de la crème of fashion designers including Christian Dior, Versace, Giorgio Armani and Bagdley Mischka. Most recently, Barbie® connected with design superstars including Anna Sui, Judith Leiber, Paper Denim & Cloth and Tarina Tarantino in 2005 for the launch of Barbie™ Luxe, an adult collection of apparel and accessories much admired by celebrity and fashionista clientele.

Barbie® Fashions Designed by Hilary Duff

From the hottest styles in skirts and shirts to the trendiest patterns and designs, the Barbie® Fashions Designed by Hilary Duff collection includes:

Barbie® Fashions Designed by Hilary Duff Fashion Fever™ Dolls – The dolls are offered in a variety of styles, for a suggested retail price of $9.99 each at retailers nationwide. (See product fact sheet for fashion details.)

Barbie® Fashions Designed by Hilary Duff Fashion Fever™ Closets – These fashion closets come in two styles– Rocker and Sweet – each including three different head-to-toe mix-and-match outfits. The closets retail for a suggested retail price of $9.99 each at retailers nationwide. (See product fact sheet for fashion details.)

Barbie® Fashions Designed by Hilary Duff Fashion Fever™ Mannequins – Head-to-toe looks for Barbie® doll displayed on a mannequin body form are offered in three different styles. The mannequins retail for a suggested retail price of $4.99 each at retailers nationwide. (See product fact sheet for fashion details.)

The Hilary Duff and Barbie® partnership began in 2004 and has evolved from Hilary starring in Fashion Fever™ TV commercials and appearing on Barbie.com – ranked among the Top 5 Entertainment-Kids websites for girls ages 2-112 – to their current designing-duo status. In 2007, the partnership will have a new twist, and girls around the world will be clamoring for even bigger news from Barbie® and Duff.