On the Path with Barbie Ferreira

October 15, 2021

You’ll be hard-pressed in finding someone who has captivated us all quite as much with her range of acting, modeling, and simply existing as an illustrious “it” girl as much as Barbie Ferreira. The New York-born starlet’s career is already one to impress, but it seems that she is just getting started. With a recently announced partnership with the world’s biggest jewelry brand, Pandora, on their new “Pandora ME” collection alongside Charli XCX and Addison Rae, Barbie gives an inside look at her unique style and sense of fashion with jewelry.

Barbie recently joined the other stars of the “ME” collection for a celebratory launch dinner and concert at Dumbo House in Brooklyn. Pandora’s creative directors, Filippo Ficarelli and Francesco Terzo, comment on the inspiration behind the collection and how to style it, “We were inspired by the idea of connecting with a collective of people, driven by creativity and imagination. The collection’s endless possibilities of styling and personalization are a catalyst for self-discovery and allow everyone to create personalized looks that represent who they are.”

Interview by Deren Owji
Photo by Mike Vitelli

After the launch, we caught up with Barbie to discuss the collection and everything else going on in her life. From her hypnotizing, pearl-decked Met Gala look by Jonathan Simkhai to her love for Lana Del Rey, Barbie shares intimate moments that have brought her joy after the past year and a half of isolation. With her playful attitude and inspiringly optimistic outlook, there are sure to be many more joyful moments to come for her.

Welcome Barbie!

Hello!

What has this past month looked like for you?

I actually traveled for the first time in like almost two years and went to New York. It was really fun, you know, being back at it again. And in some ways, really interesting. I got to see my friends and family and all that good stuff.

And you're partnering now with Pandora on their new “Pandora ME” line alongside Charli XCX and Addison Rae, among others. Can you tell me a little bit more about that collection?

First of all, I got to say shoutout to Charli XCX, because she’s iconic and I love her. I really love the jewelry in this collection. The necklaces and rings are super cute, and you know, I just love good jewelry. I love a good accessory in general. I would say I'm more of a casual clothing kind of girl, but I love to have really fun colorful jewelry on. This is really kind of a no brainer for me because I love a good mix and match charm collection. It’s been really fun to be a part of.

How do you play jewelry into your overall sense of fashion on a day to day?

I like to wear really comfortable clothes during most of my off time, so for me, accessories have always been a part of making my outfit individual to me and elevating it. Making it fun and using whatever idea I have that day. I’ve always been a hat girl, or wearing earrings or necklaces or rings. It's just really great to have the different options.

Thinking of fashion, I think there are two kinds of general categories of people: those who focus on minute details, and those who zoom out and focus on the bigger picture. Even with designers you can see this I think with some who are hyper focused on every inch and seam and others who drape and focus more on shapes. Where do you fall on this kind of scale when it comes to fashion?

It really depends on my mood. Every time I get out there or step out and be glam, it's always a different scenario. I'm always changing and going through so much transformation and I get bored really quickly so it really just depends on the day and how I feel. I do love a silhouette. My theme lately has kind of been loving a good silhouette. I've been really into getting something that's like a beautiful fabric and texture and tones and all that good stuff.

Who is someone designing right now that you think really exemplifies what you love about fashion?

There’s a lot of people. I love Collina Strada and Kim Shui. I always love designers that are thinking outside of the box. I should just go through my texts with Chris, my stylist, because I send him so many screenshots of different designers and posts that I see that are so amazing. I also definitely love Staud, Simon Miller, and Area. They are bold designers, and the people that I look to the most in fashion and thinking about what I’m going to wear next. Especially because, first of all, they have clothes that fit me. They are all really new age and super cute. Its almost as if they are costumey, but in an amazing way. They really know how to turn a look. I’m not into a simple outfit. I want something that’s fun.

Let’s talk about the Met Gala Look…

Jonathan Simkhai invited me to the Met Gala which I was really excited for. Like very, very, VERY excited. I thought to myself, “ you know, I'm gonna put a lot of effort into this.” Jonathan sent me some sketches at first, and I was speaking with him about really leaning into the American old Hollywood glamour vibe. Next thing, he designed this absolutely gorgeous dress. We had a lot of fittings and it was kind of a long process. I had the corset on and all each time. It was a super elaborate process but really fun in a lot of ways. Chris was also there throughout the whole thing to guide us too. Then for glam, working with Kennedy is incredible. I think that she is just my creative twin when it comes to makeup so shoutout to her. Also loved doing hair with Malcolm, who is an incredible hairstylist and just has the most insane wigs. I'm so happy with the way it all came out because we were really tweaking it until the last possible minute.

Do you listen to Lana?

I am the biggest Lana stan in the world.

The look reminded me so much of her early Hollywood glamor era. The iconic but troubled starlet sequestered away at Chateau. Does that resonate at all?

I think that almost everything I do is inspired by her creative world-building and the fact that she is a visual goddess. She really found a way to just create a completely new image that takes you into a whole new universe. She is really just a creative genius to me so that is kind of like the highest compliment. Thank you.

Aw. I really love that. I was kind of nervous to ask just because these days I have no idea who is and isn’t a fan.

No, I am literally obsessed. There is no other pop diva that has had such an impact on me and inspired me more than her.

Where do you stand, LA versus New York?

Well, I think there's like two ways to go about it. I'm from New York so I love New York and I think that it’s a truly special and fun place. I do enjoy living in LA though, which is where I currently have lived the past three years. If you want to hang out outside or want to go hike: LA is the vibe. If you are trying to step out and be glam: New York is the vibe. It’s just a matter of mood and what you’re looking for at the moment.

Now that more and more people are vaccinated, how does it feel to be back on set?

It's been so great. I didn't realize how much I missed everything because I kind of got sucked in with the rest of the world into this long quarantine and almost forgot that everything else still existed. It's been really fun. I love to see people and it's been amazing to kind of have some sort of semblance of normalcy. We’re on a path to getting through this and it’s really great to start actually socializing and seeing people in the real world.

What are you looking forward to now? Any projects you want to share details on?

Well I’m looking forward to a few things coming out here and there in the next couple years. I am very blessed to be doing a movie with Jordan Peele, “Nope”, that’s coming out next year, which is so exciting. I’m really looking forward to continuing working and being the most happy version of myself that I can be. At the end of the day, that is what it’s all really about.

Shop the Pandora Me collection featuring Barbie, here.

Jordan Peele’s upcoming film “Nope” featuring Barbie is set to premiere in 2022.

Culture

The Club Is Coming to the Stage

We enter and make our way to what is approximately front left of the DJ booth, where we’re accustomed to dancing at clubs in New York. “So is this a techno club or a dance performance?” yells an uncertain participant in my boyfriend’s ear. He laughs, bouncing along to Ben UFO, and yells back, “It’s both!” The club has long been a hot topic in European contemporary dance but it is only now making its way into New York performance venues, largely through transatlantic tours. R.O.S.E. follows recent examples like Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1 (May 2024), (LA)HORDE’s Room with a View at NYU Skirball (October 2023), and Gisèle Vienne’s Crowd at BAM (October 2022).

Do these performances compromise the club’s spirit — a space idealized for its anonymity, dark lighting, and thundering music? The notion of the club as a utopian escape is admittedly just that — an ideal — because of how its intense conditions can create barriers to entry. Still, the club remains sacred for many, a place to forge connections and embrace an alternative state of being. Looking at how performances transfer this spirit to new settings reveals what aspects of the club are essential and those that aren’t.

Sharon Eyal, R.O.S.E. 2024. Photography by Stephanie Berger, courtesy of Park Avenue Armory.

Eyal’s dancers make their entrance. The lighting shifts from roving blue to yellow spotlights as Ben UFO’s tracks transition to more melodic beats. Clad in deconstructed lace Dior lingerie with dark red tears painted on their faces, the dancers move cautiously in a tightly maintained pack, slicing paths through the horde with hoof-like steps and jerky leg extensions. After around ten minutes of this controlled choreography, the dancers vanish as the lighting shifts back to blue and Ben UFO picks up his dubby beats. The club, as we knew it, resumes. This cycle of tightly executed movements and free-flowing club-goers repeats several times, each time emboldening the dancers to plunge further into the crowd.

Clubbing in a building once built for the U.S. Army National Guard on Manhattan’s Upper East Side turns out to be surprisingly successful — at least for the audience. What starts as an awkward, scattered group searching for their non existent seats gradually gels into an engaged, bouncing crowd that erupts in cheers each time the dancers enter and exit. Performance patrons who might never step foot in a club find themselves swept up in its potential for communion, moving in unison with fellow ticket holders. But it isn’t until the very end of R.O.S.E. that the dancers finally break free from Eyal’s choreography and join the fired-up audience in a brief moment of improvisatory movement with the music. By keeping her dancers at arm’s length, Eyal seems more interested in the club as a backdrop for her signature movement style than wholly as a space with meaningful stories to be told.

Michele Rizzo, HIGHER xtn. 2024. Photography by Cameron Kelly courtesy of MoMA PS1.

Back in May, I attended Wire Festival, a multiday electronic music event at Knockdown Center that had no shortage of organically united dancefloors. It attracted a crowd of seasoned ravers who were eager to celebrate the start of spring as they danced alongside DJs who played well into the daylight. I left Wire in an afternoon daze to see Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1. My sleepless euphoria only deepened as the performance unfolded, starting with a lone dancer who looked plucked out of the festival.

The dancer, dressed in sneakers, baggy jeans, and a tight tank top, shuffled slowly into the gallery, perfectly in sync with the looping bars of an understated electronic melody. Soon, other dancers, clad in the same staple rave uniform, joined him — each having traveled from Europe for the U.S. museum debut of HIGHER xtn., which premiered at the Stedelijk in Amsterdam in 2018 and quickly became a fixture at kunsthalles and festivals across the continent. As the score’s tempo climbed, the choreography locked into a 16-count sequence, which the dancers executed with precise synchrony. They remained intensely focused, never making eye contact with each other, as they sought release in the endless repetition of synthesized beats. Once the dancers reached their limit, they stopped the sequence and exited the gallery, one by one.

HIGHER xtn. used the focused daylight of the gallery to highlight the meditative release found in the repetitive movements that dominate dark dancefloors. The performance’s restraint brought more consistency and intentionality than Eyal’s all-encompassing club construction in R.O.S.E. Yet both performances offer enticing entry points into club culture for those who may not frequent raves. Rizzo’s ecstatic, hypnotic repetitions reveal how the club can mirror other meditative practices, while Eyal’s interpolation of performance and clubbing helped hesitant audience members blossom by the end. Still, both works overlook one of the most underappreciated aspects of clubbing — its potential for individual expression. HIGHER xtn.’s pristine uniformity especially risks promoting the outdated techno trope that there’s a “right” way to dance to electronic music.

Maybe this shortcoming is, in fact, a benefit. For habitual ravers jaded by one too many sunrise sets, it’s a reminder to return to the club with more intention. If you pause and peer through the darkness, you’ll see hundreds of people moving to the same beat, each with their own subtle variations. This collective choreography is a ready-made spectacle that doesn’t need validation in a theater or museum. And when the music shifts slightly, you can watch the ripple effect sweep through the crowd while feeling the new beat in your body. Maybe this small bit of magic is best left on the dance floor.

Culture

Real Slick, Jack: Psyche Organic Arrives in New York

Shop Psyche Organic at Happier Grocery and Dimes. Coming soon to @citarellagourmetmarket @unionmarket @gourmetgarage @deciccos @fairwaymarket plus many more.

Culture

Porsche SCOPES Brings Art, Music, and Design to Toronto

The festival was a full immersion into Toronto’s dynamic creative energy. Day one set the tone with DJ collective Living Room, followed by an experimental performance by Claire Rousay that captivated the crowd. Jewelry designer Steff Eleoff unveiled her Porsche Taycan 4S art car installation—a bold fusion of automotive and wearable art inspired by her Sedona ring—while OVO Sound’s Naomi Sharon and DVSN wrapped up the night with powerful, genre-defying performances.

We witnessed SCOPES Toronto bridging underground and mainstream with day two’s lineup. DJ Korea Town Acid’s set paved the way for Angelphroot and Dameer’s debut of BASSMATI, a track blending South Asian influences with bass-driven sounds. Chippy Nonstop’s return to Toronto and Richie Hawtin’s extended set were milestones of the evening, proving that the city’s underground scene has a global resonance.

The final day featured standout performances from local pianist Harrison, Indigenous artist Tia Wood, and hip-hop visionary Sean Leon, who elevated his set with a live choir. Moonshine Collective’s film and musical performance explored themes of African utopia, showcasing art’s power to bridge culture and technology. Rising Toronto star SadBoi, who paused her tour to perform at SCOPES, further underscored the festival’s commitment to nurturing local talent.

Throughout the weekend, we experienced installations from artists like Mitsu Mitsu and culinary creations from Bar Mordecai, capturing the multifaceted creativity Porsche SCOPES brought to Toronto. This milestone 10th edition, open to all, allowed Toronto’s vibrant arts scene to thrive, underscoring SCOPES’ mission to celebrate local talent while connecting it to a global audience.

office had the chance to connect with rising star SadBoi ahead of the event. In our conversation, she shared insights into her creative journey and reflected on what performing and growing up in Toronto means to her and her work.

How are you, and where are you at right now? You told me you were traveling.

Um, I’m good, I’m feeling really good right now. I’m traveling back to Salt Lake City. I had a show yesterday in Seattle. I’m on tour right now with Coco and Claire.

How is touring life treating you? Do you like it?

I love being on the road. To be honest, I feel like I don’t know—like I’ve had good experiences and bad ones—but this time it’s really fun, especially with the people I’m surrounded by. It’s also the longest tour I’ve been on; I have about four more weeks to go. I’m trying not to think about how many days I have left.

Do you feel homesick?

Yes, because when I start thinking about how many days are left, I start to miss my dogs. I’ve just been trying to stay in the moment—I don’t even know what day of the week it is, to be honest with you.

Oh, sweet! What are your dogs’ names?

Jillian and Winston. I know, they’re crazy names.

You’ll be performing at SCOPES in Toronto, which is where you grew up. Do you feel like the crowd is different when you perform in Toronto compared to other cities?

Yes, I mean, Toronto just feels different because it’s home. Every time I come back to perform, something in my career has changed. The last time I performed in Toronto, people just wanted to have a good time, and I’m excited to perform back home again to see everyone’s reactions. I know it’s going to be different from the last time. It’s exciting to see your own growth. Toronto is a tough crowd, though. If we’re with you, we’re really with you.

So, they’re super picky? You have to gain their respect, or what is it?

I think Toronto people are in their own world, but when something really connects with them, they’ll lose themselves in the moment. But it takes something to bring them out of that. Toronto crowds are tough because even if they like you, they won’t show it outright until they’re really vibing with you.

It’s like a vibe check, right?

Exactly. They’ll enjoy your performance, but it’s hard to explain. When people visit Toronto, they often say, “Oh, you guys are so nice,” and I’m like, “I don’t think we’re that nice, we’re just polite.” Like, you can walk down the street, and no one will say anything, but it’s just our mannerisms.

You mentioned Toronto can have a moody energy, especially at night, and that the underground night scene there really inspires you. Can you talk more about what makes Toronto's nightlife so influential for you?

Absolutely, Toronto has this unique energy that comes alive at night. Similar to New York, there are the popular clubs everyone knows, but you need to find your niche—the people who know where the real parties are. I remember going to raves in high school yards, sneaking in because I wasn’t old enough. Events like Baby, Jerk!, and Yes Yes Y’all were pivotal, exposing me to DJs blending dancehall with EDM—something I hadn’t seen before. Toronto nightlife is moody and intense, but when everyone’s out, it’s like the whole city is alive.