Legendary fashion icon Iris Apfel is the most recent celebrity to get a Barbie made in her likeness.
Mattel announced Apfel’s Barbie on Wednesday, telling HuffPost that the company created the doll to celebrate the style icon’s new book, Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon. Apfel joins the ranks of other famous women who have had dolls created in their likeness, including Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, director Ava DuVernay, ballerina Misty Copeland and Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas.
The 96-year-old is an interior designer and all-around style connoisseur who is well-known for her coke bottle glasses and bold red lips. In 2014, filmmaker Albert Maysles created an entire documentary about Apfel called “Iris.”
“Fashion you can buy, but style you possess. The key to style is learning who you are, which takes years,” Apfel told ELLE in a 2013 interview. “There’s no how-to road map to style. It’s about self expression and, above all, attitude.”
Although Apfel’s doll is not meant to be sold in stores, a Barbie spokeswoman told HuffPost there will be a new line of dolls coming out later this year inspired by Apfel’s style.
Mattel recently launched several other new dolls for their “Shero” and “Inspiring Women” lines including dolls made in the likeness of artist Frida Kahlo, aviator Amelia Earhart and mathematician Katherine Johnson. Although the new dolls made a big splash on International Women’s Day, many fans criticized Mattel for the Kahlo doll, which did not include a full unibrow or the artist’s wheelchair. The Kahlo family also reportedly did not sign off on the doll.