Barbie is turning 60 this year, and the iconic doll has a shoe collaboration to throw you back into your childhood to celebrate the milestone. Seriously, the new Puma x Barbie collab is peak '90s, and the hero item (a pink sneaker) is the perfect balance between chunky dad shoes and first grader gym shoes, letting you bring your childhood into adulthood.
The Barbie touch is being brought to the Puma Nova sneaker for this mashup, which is a new shoe silhouette for the brand. Launched in 2019, Nova is inspired by Puma's heritage styles, and is taken from Puma's '90s archives. Inspired by a '90s running silhouette, the Nova combines a bulky sculpted look with a modern slim upper. The shoe has a mesh upper with streamlined suede and leather overlays, and a sculpted outsole that makes it perfect for streetwear looks. The Nova shoe is retro and modern all at once, which is why it is the perfect silhouette for Barbie to restyle.
There are two colorways to choose from in this collab, but both nod to Barbie's infatuation with pink. The first option features a gradient look that was so hip in the '90s.
The gradient moves from white to orchid pink, and includes pops of yellow and teal. There are also grid and polka dot textures across the shoe, which help to cinch the '90s vibe.
There is a vintage Barbie logo on the heel, complete with a palm tree and overlapping geometric triangles. The Nova sneakers quite literally look like a pair of shoes that Barbie herself would wear. Unfortunately, this Nova x Barbie shoe is sold out at the moment.
The second shoe is still available, though. The Nova x Barbie Flash sneakers are less pastel and tap into Barbie's saturated color palette. An all white sneaker, the shoe has a fun iced pink rubber outsole. It's the exact shade of pink that Barbie's dream house and convertible were. There are also a ton of '90s Barbie inspired graphics, like the spray painted Barbie logo on the side, and the contrast graphics on the interior lining. There is also a colorful cameo print stripe on the heel, tying together Barbie's aesthetic in that era.
The Puma x Barbie pack also includes with some apparel (sizes XS - L, though some sizes are already sold out too) to complete the athleisure look. There is a candy pink tee, a track jacket, sporty leggings, and bicycle shorts to pick from. All the women's pieces also come in kid's sizes as well.
This isn't Puma x Barbie's first collaboration. In Dec. 2018, the brands launched the Puma x Barbie Suede 50 capsule collection. The pack featured two suede sneakers and a line of apparel.
The suede sneakers featured exaggerated satin bows on their heels, which were printed with the Barbie logo. There was also a crossover Barbie collection on Mattel's side, where Barbies wore Puma athleisure and those exact suede shoes.
Help Barbie celebrate her 60th this year by dressing up in her vision. When it comes down to wearing pink sneakers, it's not exactly a hardship.
