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Video: York fashion designer chosen to dress a very special birthday girl – Barbie

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Barbie in her new range, courtesy of Matty Bovan

She’s a global superstar known for her love of stylish clothes.

So when Barbie asks you to design her a new fashion range, you must be doing something right.

Rising star designer Matty Bovan has been commissioned by Mattel, who make the famous doll, to create a range for her 58th birthday.

Matty, from York, has not only dressed Barbie in some of the bright and colourful clothes from his spring 2017 collection – and painted her face to match – but created a video to go with it.

Shot in and around York, the film called Girlness celebrates a diverse range of strong women to showcase “how girls are in 2017″.

‘Barbie’s a blank canvas’

“I’ve loved Barbie since childhood because for me it provided a blank canvas to be creative, plus Barbie is such a recognizable brand, so it was an immediate yes for me when Mattel got in touch,” Matty told WMD.

And in the film, they took “Barbie’s values and attitude to showcase what female identity means to us in 2017,” he said.

The Barbie dolls, as well as unisex T-shirts and badges featuring Bovan’s illustrations of Barbie, are on sale at the Fashion East pop-up space in the London department store Selfridges.

Matty’s film Girlness was shot on location in York

Last year Matty showcased his designs for the first time at London Fashion Week. He has worked for the likes of Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton,

He told Vogue:

Strong female identity is something I grew up surrounded by and something that I found very inspirational – it extends naturally within my own work and practice.

I design for myself, but also the female version of me – it’s all part of my whole identity.