Whether you’ve watched Euphoria or not, you’ve likely heard of Barbie Ferreira. She hit the big time playing the brilliant Kat Hernandez alongside Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya in the first two seasons of the HBO show (psst! Here’s the *real* reason she decided to call it quits) – but she was already making waves on the scene long before her breakout role.
As a teen, Barbie modelled for a handful of major brands (think Adidas, ASOS, and H&M) when un-retouched photos from her Aerie campaign went viral in 2016. She soon became a vocal figure in the body positivity movement, starring in a video series for Teen Vogue called Body Party, and was named checked in Time’s “30 Most Influential Teens” list later that same year. All this, and she’s only *just* turned 26.
Barbie’s list of achievements is impressive – but never one to rest on her laurels, she is now turning her attention to fashion design, stepping into the role of Global Celebrity Partner for Havaianas. More than just a face for the iconic footwear brand, Barbie has kicked off the partnership by exclusively designing a nine-piece collection of sandals, right in time for summer!
As well enjoying as a sneak peek of Barbie’s edit, Cosmo got the chance to sit down with the star (and her adorable dog, Cowboy) to chat all things summer style, from her favourite trends to fashion disasters – hey, we’ve all had ‘em. But if you think you’re Barbie’s biggest fan, you’ll have to get in line. Despite her Grandma’s disbelief when Barbie first told her about the collection, in her family’s eyes this is the most exciting thing she’s achieved in her career to date.
No pressure, then! Luckily, Barbie is more than prepared. “I just went on vacation and I wore my Havaianas on almost every day with really cute crochet dresses and beach cover-ups,” she tells us. Crochet is one of this season’s biggest trends thanks to the ‘70s revival, something Barbie says she didn’t realise despite her lifelong love of fashion.
“I don’t mean to be like this girl, but I accidentally am fashionable a lot of times,” she laughs. Having grown up in New York and starting out her career as a model, Barbie describes her friends as “fashion girlies” who are always on hand to keep her informed on the latest hot thing. “I will buy stuff and then they’ll be like, ‘is that *insert name of designer here*? All the hot girls are wearing that!’ And I’m like, oh slay, something I like is cool with the girls? I will take that as a compliment!”
But ultimately, she won’t let what’s classified as ‘in’ dictate what she wears. “I think for me, more than fashion it’s style. I’ve always loved styling myself, even as a kid. I’d go to thrift stores and get a pound of clothes for like five bucks.” Though of course, her style has evolved with age, “I’m 26 now, so I’ve refined the way I dress in a lot of ways. I do not care if it’s on trend or not.”
The one fashion item she absolutely cannot live without? Bike shorts. “I wear [them] under my dresses because, you know, chub rub is real,” she admits. Barbie is firmly a spring/summer girl, preferring to wear a revealing top and flowy pants combo than layer up for winter. “I run hot,” she told us. “I love a skirt that goes past my knees and then a little revealing top, that’s really like my vibe recently but it depends on where I am because I travel a lot.”
As well as just getting back from the tropical Turks and Caicos, Barbie has spent the past few months filming in New Orleans – and naturally, her surroundings very much influence her style. “I love to lean into where I’m at. Like in Paris I look very French or when I was in New Orleans I was giving Swampcore,” she laughs.
Indeed, a quick scroll through her Instagram feed will show endless lewks. But does she ever put a fashion foot wrong? “Listen, I’ve worn really bad outfits, I have not been fashionable all the time… I’ve had red carpet moments where I’m like, ‘Damn girl, what am I wearing?’ But that is part of it. You have to make mistakes to be good at it. And maybe to learn to take less crazy risks that are not going to pay off.”
Instead, for her recent holiday she chose to channel one of her favourite TV shows. “I bought a bunch of flowy, beachy dresses and I felt like I was in The White Lotus.” Cue a five-minute-long tangent on her love for Jennifer Coolidge… “She’s iconic. If I had to think of a person who would be my dream mom in a movie, it would be Jennifer Coolidge.”
But back to the dresses. “I literally was like, ‘Oh my God, I feel so quiet luxury right now,'” referencing yet another popular TikTok aesthetic. We told you she had her finger on the pulse. With celeb fans including Sofia Richie, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Gwyneth Paltrow, quiet luxury – or stealth wealth – style recalls minimal basics in neutral colourways that are low-key insanely expensive. Frankly, it’s the total opposite of what we’d associate with someone as bubbly, eclectic, and bold as Barbie.
She agrees: “I never wear things like that. Usually, I’m wearing something that’s really colourful or fun.” She did enjoy trying out a new trend though, “There was just one dress I kept wearing and I felt so ‘mother of four on vacation with her rich husband.’ It was really fun!”
Barbie has always loved experimenting with fashion, even from a young age. “My Grandma used to dress me up in weird ass clothes and stuff like that. So I’ve always been expressing myself, even as a toddler.” Reminiscing on other childhood memories, she adds: “As a kid, I wanted to be an actor first and if that didn’t work out, I wanted to be a fashion designer.” Now, thanks to her partnership with Havaianas, she’s getting to do both.
But this isn’t your average celebrity collab. As well as being the first ever of its kind for the Brazilian brand, the choice to work with Barbie was incredibly intentional, not least because of Barbie’s pride in her Brazilian heritage.
Born and raised in New York, Barbie was a first-generation American raised by her Brazilian mother, aunt, and grandmother. “I feel very much like Brazilian culture was how I grew up,” she says. “[The collab] is really exciting, I get to work with the country that means the most to me and [explore] my heritage and my culture, and kind of bring this like Brazilian-American fusion to it because of course, that’s who I am.”
It’s therefore not just a big deal to her, but to her *entire* family. “I’ve been wearing Havaianas since I was a literal toddler. My mom every year for Christmas would get me a bunch of Brazilian stuff, and always without fail every year, I’d get a pair [of Havaianas].”
It’s Barbie’s love of Brazil that was her biggest source of inspiration for the collection. “I was very inspired by Brazilian interior design and architecture. I love vintage furniture and I immediately started looking at murals and tiles – handmade and kind of, you know, wonky, and whatnot.” Her mood boards were full of organic lines and earthy colours that gave Barbie a nostalgic Brazilian feeling.
She can’t single out a favourite pair, deciding it’s a toss-up between the yellow, what she calls “giraffe tile” flip flops and the brown mosaic design. “But I mean all of them,” she quickly adds, and she can’t help but laugh. “I love the slides too, I’m a big slides girl. It’s been a shoe trend for me forever, baby!”
Hearing Barbie talk about the design process, her passion for this project is clear. “This collection is a labour of love,” she explains. “It’s really connected to my culture and my roots so I hope that people like it. I hope it shows that it’s positive and happy and fun and sweet. You know, they’re flip flops, so I don’t know if they’re gonna save the world,” she says laughing, “but maybe, you know, they’ll put a smile on someone’s face.”
Shop Barbie’s Havaianas collection here:
You Might Also Like
link
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(737x136:739x138)/DFR-Fashion-Awards-Amelia-Gray-lisa-rinna-042924-446577a7fd2b49f08b91011a6385409b.jpg)
