Mattel’s 10th Annual Her Universe Fashion Show kicked off San Diego Comic-Con with a standing-room only crowd and an unforgettable evening of fashion and fandom.
Winner of the 2024 Her Universe Fashion Show
Throughout the night, 25 designers presented stunning creations inspired by iconic fandoms and pop culture characters, including Barbie, Beetlejuice, Magic 8 Ball, Monster High, Popples and more. From exquisite craftsmanship to boundary-pushing designs, every piece celebrated the power of imagination, with some pieces celebrating a number of landmark anniversaries, including Barbie’s 65th anniversary, Polly Pocket’s 35th anniversary and Mattel’s 80th anniversary.
This year’s winning designers will have the opportunity to design a fashion collection with Her Universe and will each win $10,000 to commemorate the 10th anniversary show. The winners are:
All designers from the Her Universe fashion show
Anna Cash-Mitchell Bunny Jones Caitlin Beers Candice Miller Kat Gravelow Kristin Geiger Domonique “Dom Diva” Battle-Baver – “Dreams Barbie”, inspired by Barbie Duy Truong Emma “Emma Joy” Neuweiler Heather Smith – “Haute on Hoth”, inspired by Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Jen Tan Jennifer “Miami Falcon” Falcone Katie Strube Mandy McLean Couch – “It’s Show Time”, inspired by Beetlejuice
Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Her Universe Fashion Show
Less than 10 minutes into the show, Her Universe founder Ashley Eckstein debuted the highly anticipated fashion: a one-of-a-kind projection-mapped dress that combined technology with 65 years of Barbie fashion. Broadway star Michael James Scott kicked off the night with a rousing rendition of Katy Perry’s “Roar,” which had the audience on their feet, singing and dancing. The co-hosts then showed off multiple nerdy couture looks inspired by popular Mattel brands, including Barbie, Polly Pocket, Hot Wheels, and Uno.
“It’s been my dream to do a projection mapping show since 2017, but until now I just didn’t have the right team to make it happen!” Eckstein said excitedly.
Create the look
To realize Eckstein’s groundbreaking opening Barbie look, she and show director Jeremy Merrifield worked with a team of more than 20 designers, engineers, illustrators, carpenters, animators and musicians. Using a 40,000 lumen precision BARCO projector, the team celebrated Barbie’s 65th anniversary by showcasing seven iconic Barbie fashions in one dress made from AV StumpFL’s cutting-edge projection fabric. The eighth Barbie couture look was a pink design created by Andrew MacLean, audience award winner at the 2014 Her Universe fashion show.
The marriage of fashion and technology was led by AOA Managing Director Dennis Hatcher and Jay Hatcher, Director of Emmy Award-winning Live Everyday Studios. AOA’s creative artists and technologists, led by Amara Fresher and Jake Taylor, custom designed the life-size Barbie box illusion. altrd Productions, led by Tony and Ashley Leather, known for bringing magical projection content to some of the world’s most famous architecture, designed the custom virtual Barbie fashion and animation.
The opening music was provided by renowned musical team Nathan and Andrea Padgett, who arranged and produced a moving version of “Roar” for Michael James Scott. A remake of Katy Perry’s theme song showcased the music of the era, from doo-wop to pop, disco to rock, to suit each of Eckstine’s iconic Barbie styles. The crowd was in tears one minute and on their feet singing along the next.
Iconic inspiration
Polly Pocket was also a focus of attention at this year’s event. To celebrate the brand’s 35th anniversary, Mattel transformed the lobby into a quirky, nostalgic Polly Pocket experience. Guests were greeted with some of Polly Pocket’s most iconic pieces, transporting visitors back to cherished childhood memories. Eckstein’s personal favorite, the Her Universe founder’s second look, was inspired by Polly Pocket, with a heart-shaped skirt that opened to reveal a life-size Polly Pocket compact, and Eckstein herself dressed as Polly Pocket in a look created by designer MacLaine and master prop builders at MacGuffin Makers.
Other fashion highlights inspired by Mattel brands included Eckstein and Scott dressing up as ’90s Totally Hair Barbie and Ken, and appearing in matching outfits made from actual Uno cards, reminiscent of the ’70s style, the decade the game debuted. Michael James Scott gave new meaning to “fast fashion” as he delighted crowds with a custom Hot Wheels suit and coat made by 2018 Her Universe Fashion Show winner Christy Seadow Thompson, who also designed all of Scott’s outfits. Eckstein’s haute couture outfit was designed by Andrew McLane. Hair and makeup was by Veronica Nunez with assistance from Leibi Carias.
The fun continued throughout the evening as audience members won prizes including a 65th anniversary Barbie doll, a Monster High backpack, a 35th anniversary Polly Pocket compact and a special edition Uno card deck.
