Barbie joins prestigious ranks of fashion council honorees

ENTERTAINMENT

Barbie joins prestigious ranks of fashion council honorees

The Associated Press Published Thursday, May 16, 2019 11:47PM EDT

In this Sept. 29, 2015, file photo, Barbie Fashionista Dolls from Mattel are displayed at the TTPM Holiday Showcase in New York. Mattel Inc., the maker of the famous plastic Barbie doll, says it will start producing three separate body types of the doll. (AP/Mark Lennihan)

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NEW YORK -- Gloria Steinem, Cecile Richards, Michelle Obama. Barbie?

The Council of Fashion Designers of America will follow up those prestigious honorees of its Board of Directors' Tribute Award with the ever-evolving doll. The council said in a statement Thursday the idea is to celebrate Barbie as a fashion icon, coinciding with her 60th anniversary.

The council's president, Steve Kolb, says Barbie has had a "wide influence on American fashion and culture." A human, presumably, will pick up the award at a June 3 ceremony.

In addition to Steinem, Richards and Obama, other past honorees include Tom Ford, Janelle Monae and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Among Barbie's fashion collaborators: Oscar de la Renta and Jeremy Scott. Diane von Furstenberg, Bob Mackie and Vera Wang have made special Barbies.