Fashion’s Sparkling Barbie Doll – An Interview with Tarina Tarantino

Tarina Tarantino at Barbie Launch.

Katrina-Kasey Wheeler interviews designer, Tarina Tarantino.

Accessories designer Tarina Tarantino is a bona fide pop culture icon. Her style is nostalgic yet she adds an up-to-date flair that only she can do, resulting in a fresh take on classic figures, and soon-to-be classic original designs. In 2002, she was approached by Sanrio to create a new line of accessories, featuring the iconic figure – Hello Kitty. The result was her Pink Head collections. Hello Kitty is not the only figure showcased on her designs however – Alice in Wonderland, and Barbie have also adorned previous collections. Every item is created at her headquarters “The Sparkle Factory” in downtown Los Angeles. Her accessories are must - haves for Hollywood’s A-List stars including: Miley Cyrus, Cameron Diaz, Avril Lavigne, and Paris Hilton – to name a few. Through the years, she has obtained a cult-like following. Her style has caught the attention of fans worldwide. Her line is available at boutiques ranging from Los Angeles and New York to Milan and Osaka, with even more locations planned for the future. Recognized and adored for her brilliantly pink hair and incomparable accessories, the design maven was approached by Mattel and has now been immortalized with her very own Barbie Doll – complete with pink hair and tiara!

Tarina Tarantino started off in the fashion industry as a model. When she was growing up, designing was something that she loved. “I made my first piece of jewelry when I was 4. It was a little elephant pin made out of FIMO clay. I grew up in a creative home, my Mom paints and my Dad was a font designer / illustrator (back when it was done by hand).  I always loved color and sparkle, and now it is my life.”

Inspiration for a creative designer such as Tarantino isn’t one set idea or plan of action as one may believe. “The inspiration question is always strange for me. It is not something that comes from one source. As a designer you have to look for inspiration in everything and that is what I do every day. Most of my best ideas come from daydreaming.” Her designs not only originate from daydreaming but also may induce euphoric states of daydreaming as well. The designs often include Swarovski crystal, Lucite, and metal – everything that fans of Tarantino love and expect from her collections.

Her artistic vision can best be described as, “Colorful, sparkling, quality, unique design, playful and nostalgic.  My design aesthetic is constantly evolving and re-defining my brand which I think is important to keep your customers interested. You have to be able to change, but still retain your core identity.” She is the ultimate Girly girl that showcases the feminine embellishments in her accessories. “Girly girl? You got me there.”

Tarantino is constantly inspired by her surroundings and ideas for future collections. “In the fashion accessory business there is no down time. We are constantly working on the next collection and actually working on future seasons simultaneously. Inspiration is all around us here at the Sparkle Factory where all you have to do is explore a little, walk through the bead room or the crystal vault.” Her accessories are dazzling and refreshingly unique. Her art has struck a chord with patrons and has filled the void that existed in the market for these imaginative pieces. She is a role model for every girl who ever grew up thinking that she was a princess and her accessories allow girls of every age to express just that. Numerous celebrities don the accessories, “Of course it’s nice to see someone famous wearing our pieces, it is a great compliment.  Most of our famous clients are organic customers that shop at our boutiques,” Tarantino says. “But what really excites me is to see a stranger on the street, a girl or guy that I don’t know, wearing one of my pieces. That is the best!”

Celebrities wearing Tarina Tarantino’s accessories: Britney Murphy, Gwen Stefani, Miley Cyrus, Cameron Diaz, Kelly Osbourne, Jennifer Lopez and Paris Hilton.

The Pink Head collections which center on Hello Kitty, is named as such for the pink hair adorning each Hello Kitty piece in the collections. However, it isn’t exclusive to little girls. No matter how much time passes, Hello Kitty is one of the franchises that every generation of girls relates to and loves. The collection really puts a new spin on Hello Kitty while maintaining its authenticity. It is something that women don’t have to grow out of and girls of all ages can appreciate, Tarantino included! “I have loved and collected Hello Kitty since the early 1980s. It was a surprise and an honor to be asked to work with this Japanese icon.  I love Japanese culture and she is the epitome of cuteness.  I have also become friends with Yuko Yamaguchi who is the designer that created Hello Kitty. It is incredible.”

While on the topic of pink hair, we have seen a few celebrities in recent years donning pink hair apart from Tarantino. For example, Gwen Stefani during her Return of Saturn era. Tarantino shares, “It has been this color since 1998. My daughters only know me with fuchsia hair and think that it’s normal. I guess I have kept it because I am so used to it, and of course it’s fun. I think I was always meant to have it.” It isn’t just her fuchsia hair that has won over scores of fans, being unique thereby creating unique designs, has been imperative to unlocking the door to her successful career in fashion. “Absolutely, you cannot be competitive in today’s fashion marketplace without original and unique design.  You also need a strong brand identity, or else you will just be lost in the sea of others trying to do it too.  When we started our business in the mid 1990s, fashion accessories were an afterthought.  Design houses did not put that much emphasis on them. Now they sell more accessories than clothes. And now everyone wants to be a jewelry designer, it is more competitive than ever.” 

The 2008 Tarina Tarantino Limited Edition Barbie Doll.

Although the fashion world is highly competitive, not every designer can say that they have their own Barbie Doll – an epic feat, reserved only for the most influential designers. It is also a testament to her talent and status since this is the first time that a Barbie Doll has been created based on an accessories designer. “It was an incredibly fascinating process to design a Barbie Doll.  The doll team at Mattel are such artists and so creative.  My doll is exactly how I pictured her. It is surreal and there are almost no words for it. I am really honored.” Tarantino had already designed some jewelry for the Barbie franchise, but when she was approached to design an actual Barbie Doll, she knew rather quickly how it would look, right down to the tiara. “I have to admit it did not take me long to decide on how she should look.  I made some sketches and inspiration boards with my design team.” The Barbie Doll is very limited edition, “It is a Gold Label series collector doll. There are only 14,000 in the world.” Everything from the packaging to the hair color of the doll is spot on. It took a while to perfect the hair color, “Yes, it took a few months. They actually asked for a little swatch of my actual hair so they could get it as close as possible and I think they did a great job!”

Pictured are examples of the limited edition doll, car, and necklace sets which can be bid on at ClothesoffOurBack.org. The Clothes off Our Back organization donates all proceeds from their auctions to benefit various children’s charities.

In the spirit of creating a new Barbie Doll, she created some designs for Clothes off Our Back. “It’s an amazing charity and it was a great opportunity to create some one-of-a-kind dolls, we paired them with little sparkling cars. I actually want them for myself and may have to start bidding!”

What is up next for the Tarina Tarantino brand? The brand is already going global, signaled most recently in 2007 with the opening of her boutique in Milan. There are many new and exciting things on the horizon for the brand and we (the fans) can’t wait! “We have future plans for a shop in Dubai, which is a fascinating part of the world that we plan to visit this coming spring. Brand expansion plans include home accessories and cosmetics. We are also moving our entire operation (The Sparkle Factory) into a beautiful historic building in downtown Los Angeles next spring. We also plan to finally take a vacation sometime in 2009!”

 The Tarina Tarantino Barbie Doll release event at Disneyland.

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