By Allen Voivod
One of the most remarkable Barbie Signature collaborations in 2022 was our partnership with Guo Pei, the renowned Chinese couturier. She’s famous for balancing artistic heritage with contemporary innovation, through her signature craftsmanship and the intricate embroidery that’s become a hallmark of her work.
Our first doll with her celebrated the Lunar New Year, and for our latest team effort, we’ve made a sequel! The 2023 Barbie Lunar New Year Doll Designed By Guo Pei arrives in the shop today, in plenty of time for you to get yours before the holiday festival begins on January 22nd. The Gold Label doll is available for $80, with a limit of three (3) dolls per person.
Barbie doll designer Joyce Chen led the Barbie Signature team on all our acclaimed past collaborations with Guo Pei, so she was a natural choice to lead this project as well. “The inspiration for this year’s Guo Pei Lunar New Year doll comes from a design in one of Guo Pei’s past collections, which we’ve scaled down to fit Barbie,” Joyce says. “It’s in a traditional Chinese royal blue color, with embroidered details featuring golden dragons that represent good fortune and strength.”
As with many of Guo Pei’s custom creations, the embroidery is beyond spectacular. Recreating it at doll scale is a challenge, which the team embraces with excitement. “The intricate embroidery is one of the most striking details on this doll,” Joyce says. “We were able to capture all the colors and detailed artwork within this more modern silhouette of a Chinese traditional dress.”
We’ve accessorized the resplendent two-piece couture look with golden earrings, a sparkly golden pom-pom statement ring, and gold color pumps. Joyce also pointed out that the doll has a stylish flipped bob hairstyle, giving her a more unique look.
Another member of the team who’s worked on all previous Guo Pei dolls is packaging designer Laydiana Chiv. For her, the design of the doll is supremely important as she considers how to present it in a doll box. “Every dress that Guo Pei designs tells a story. I saw her dresses as reflections of the different steps and rituals of the Lunar New Year, which take place over several days,” Laydiana says, reflecting on both the 2022 and 2023 doll designs.
“When I saw the previous doll, all I could think of was a traditional and elegant ceremony for the celebration of the Lunar New Year,” Laydiana elaborates. “For the new doll, Guo Pei’s bold but detail-oriented designs include mythological elements such as the dragons and clouds, which made me think of a modern and more fun celebration. So we tried to highlight this way to celebrate the Lunar New Year.”
But how does that translate into a packaging design – one that complements the box for the previous doll and also stands on its own? “We looked deeper into the geometric shapes of the dress and, in this case, the bob haircut of the doll,” Laydiana explains. “All these details are very square and sharp-edged, which we highlighted with the cut-out squares for the window. For the back panel, we chose to highlight the fabric of the dress with its rich royal blue. And we added a printing finish, Spot UV, to give texture and gloss to the box surface.”
Whether you give her as a gift to a Barbie fan who celebrates this time-honored festival, or you get her for your own holiday tradition and display, the 2023 Barbie Lunar New Year Doll Designed By Guo Pei is a fantastic addition to any doll collection. Be among the first to get this exquisitely designed doll today.
Designed by: Guo Pei. Facilitated by: Asian Couture Federation.
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