In 2023, Margot Robbie brought Barbie and her world back in the spotlight in Greta Gerwig’s eponymous film. It renewed interest in the world’s most famous doll, which shaped how fashion is perceived in a consumer-driven economy.
Naturally, a collaboration with Delhi-based péro, renowned for its eccentric approach and textile experiments, got the crowd at Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI excited. Melding Barbie’s global ethos and style with artisanal heritage and handcrafted weaves was no mean feat, which Aneeth Arora achieved through intense research on the evolution of the iconic doll’s fashion since its inception in 1959. That called for an intense scrutiny of Mattel’s vintage archives, early illustrations of Barbie, the official brand book, classic advertisements, and style guides.
The result was another impeccable showcase on opening day, with the runway turning into a playground for Barbie and her friends.The show, presented by Lakmé x Tira, saw fashion, beauty, craft and imagination joining forces to explore and celebrate freedom of expression. Life-sized Barbie boxes were strewn around from where models emerged dolled up in Aneeth’s creations.
As the Barbies and Kens glided across the ramp in skates, showcasing the vibrant collection in shades of pink, they drew admiration from fashion experts, thrilled to see assertive Barbies channelling Gen Z vibes in their eclectic compositions.
For Spring-Summer 2027, Pero creates a universe shaped by curiosity. The idea stems from a box as a metaphor for the limitations we create around ourselves, which, once opened, leads to a world of endless possibilities. Relaxed, gender-fluid silhouettes in shades of pink turned the event playful. “Dressing up is about creating a feeling, and beauty is an essential part of that transformation. Fashion inspires us to explore new possibilities, while beauty transforms mood, character and feeling. The partnership with Lakmé x Tira extends that spirit of freedom and experimentation into beauty,” says Aneeth as she takes us through the spectacular edit.
How difficult or easy has it been to put up this show without getting monotonous?
I think there’s never any scope for monotony or re petition, because the themes we work with are always so diverse and different. This time we called it Dream Dress-Up. We’ve seen Barbie’s journey through the years and how versatile she is, in personality and the way she dresses. So we took the core theme of dressing up, which she enjoys the most. Everybody says, ‘You can be anything.’ Our approach is that you are already everything. We’re simply putting a new wardrobe on you, a Barbie wardrobe. People have a stereotypical image of Barbie, so what happens if you give her a péro wardrobe? How would that look, and how would péro resonate with that wardrobe? That was the thought.
Could you mention a few design elements you brought in, keeping péro’s characteristics and signature intact?
Whenever people think of Barbie, the colour pink comes to mind. For me too, pink signifies Barbie, so it became the most significant colour. But we also looked at what Barbie wore when she debuted. The first Barbie costume was a black-and-white striped swimsuit. We’ve woven those stripes in different parts of India. We’ve done mashru stripes, block-printed stripes and golden stripes, with a palette of pinks interspersed with black and white.
I always say that every season has a joker, the thing that stands out. In the coming summer, black-and-white stripes are the joker. Otherwise, the season is pretty much pinks, corals and reds. The other thing I noticed in her wardrobe was a lot of knitted pieces, maybe because when you dress a doll, it’s easier if the fabric is stretchy. So this time we’ve done a lot of innovation in jersey and crochet, which is hand-knitted and hand-crocheted, and we’ve also done flatbed knitting.
We also took this as an opportunity to launch our vintage-inspired undergarments line, Pero Intimates. This is where we’ve broken the stereotype of not wearing body-hugging silhouettes. It’s a line of very simple, light clothing that one would wear at home. I’m calling it intimate because it’s closest to your skin. It’s almost a péro version of lingerie. We showcased it in the same layering as we did for Barbie. Ken is also very fashionable, so he’s covered in the collection too.
How do you see the fashion world shaping up this new year, in the spring and summer season?
I think individuality is ruling right now, and that will continue. The movement is towards everybody knowing who is making their clothes and how they’re made. People know what they want, so I don’t think designers will dictate the trend. We create clothing and present it in a theme. The current generation knows exactly how to interpret it and has a very strong voice. That’s when the fashion world thrives. There’s no single way of styling.
péro’s plans for 2027?
There’s one very interesting collaboration coming up, which I can’t disclose yet. We’ve also just opened our retail store in Delhi. We call it Perodise, and I’m always saying that maybe there’s another Perodise waiting to be opened in Mumbai.