>>>INSIDE


Barbie to


appear in SI

swimsuit issue
By MATT TOWNSEND and LINDSEY RUPP
BLOOMBERG NEWS
 NEW YORK Putting Barbie in
Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit
issue is Mattel Inc.'s latest attempt
to generate conversation about the
11.5-inch icon and reverse falling
Barbie brand sales.
 Mattel said Tuesday that Barbie,
54, will join the ranks ofTyra Banks,
Christie Brinkley and Rachel Hunter
in the magazine's 50th anniversary
swimsuit issue, which goes on sale
Feb. 18. Barbie will appear in a version
of the black-and-white bathing suit
she wore on her 1959 debut, the
company said. The Time Inc. magazine
and toymaker also rolled out an
advertising campaign with the tagline
"unapologetic."
 Within hours of the announcement,
a debate was raging on the Web and
television. While some saw no contro-
versy, others said the swimsuit issue
demeans women and Barbie's unre-
alistic proportions send an unhealthy
message to young girls.
 "What year are we?" Sallie
Krawcheck, the former Bank of
America and Citigroup executive,
said in an interview on Bloomberg
Television. "It is a terrible message for
young ladies. Appearance, we wish
it didn't matter for women and men,
but there is looking groomed and put
together and there is having a look
that no one in this entire world can
ever attain. The airbrushing is ridicu-
lous that goes on. Barbie's message
should be strong, resourceful, that
you work hard and you achieve some-
thing, not because of your looks."
 The Barbie brand is struggling amid
the growing popularity of Mattel's
other top doll brands, Monster
High, Disney Princess and American
Girl. Last year, sales of girls brands
excluding Barbie surged 25 percent.
Meanwhile Barbie declined 6 percent.
Global revenue from Barbie fell
13 percent in Mattel's most recent
quarter, when the El Segundo, Calif.-
based company posted revenue that


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AP PHOTO


This image provided by Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, shows the cover of the magazine's 50th


anniversary annual swimsuit issue.
trailed analysts'estimates.
 Through Tuesday, Mattel shares had
fallen 22 percent this year, compared
with a 1.6 percent decline for the
Standard & Poor's 500 Index.
 Laura Ries, president of marketing
strategy firm Ries & Ries in Roswell,
Ga., said Mattel has skilfully gener-
ated media buzz for the brand that
could stir nostalgia among adults and
help lift the brand.
 "It's a solid move," she said in a
telephone interview. "It's not just a
crazy ad in Maxim. If she was shown
in a midriff and black eyeliner under
her eyes, that would have been
distasteful and gotten a lot more PR.
Look what Miley Cyrus has accom-
plished going down that road. It is


tastefully done."
 Mattel began a concerted effort to
make Barbie part of the cultural con-
versation again on Valentine's Day in
2011, when the company announced
she was getting back together with
Ken after "the breakup of the millen-
nium."To make Ken more appealing
to Barbie and potential buyers -
Mattel gave him a Justin Bieber-like
haircut. The company, also allowed
the makers of"Toy Story 3"to cast Ken
as himself, having previously refused
to allow the doll to participate.
 "We gave people permission to play
with our brand, to have fun," in the
hope that it would become culturally
relevant again, Richard Dickson, then
brand president, said at the time.


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* PAGE 3


"4454


Iconic wrap style


turns 40 with flair
By BOOTH MOORE
Los ANGELES TIMES
 Diane von Furstenberg's wrap-dress army is a
force to be reckoned with in the 20,000-square-
foot gallery of the historic May Co. department
store building in Los Angeles, where her "Journey
of a Dress" exhibition showcases vintage and con-
temporary interpretations of the iconic design.
 There they are, 200 mannequins strong, stand-
ing in formation and looking ready to conquer the
world.
 Conquer the world is exactly what this dress
did. MCT PHOTO
 Designs from Diane von Furstenberg are featured at the "Journey
 WRAP 1 7 of the Dress" exhibit in Los Angeles on Jan. 9.


Recycled fashions come

out of the trash heap

and onto the runway
By KEVIN SPEAR
ORLANDO SENTINEL
 ORLANDO Models strutted down the runway in
outfits tailored from fishing line, citrus bags, ham-
mered strips of beer cans and garbage bags.
 This fashion show featured what's called haute
trash, trash walking and trashion, and it was all for a
good cause: Keep Orlando Beautiful.
 "I wanted to make something beautiful out of
something in our daily lives," said Krystol Pineda,
who attends the International Academy of Design &
Technology in Orlando, and took five weeks to dye
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 A weekly section of the Sun 4,' Vol. 4 No. 07 February 16, 2014