—

connection. The key brand statements were simple enough to
develop after our primary and secondary research on Barbie™ had
been conducted:

« We will create a joyful experience between parents and children
« We believe in positive change through creativity

+ We will make glamour guilt-free

+ We will make waste valuable by reviving toys with imagination

+ We will tell new stories with old dolls

It was now possible to develop three lines of dolls under
the VancouverGirl brand. These brands would each represent a
different approach to developing sustainable dolls from waste
stream products and each of these brands would engage with a
different audience.

FINAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT// The final products were
categorized into a number of distinct yet related lines, each suited
to different user needs and target audiences.

Vgirl// Vgirl is the flagship retail line, and intended for consump-
tion by the widest audience. The hallmark sustainable practice of
this approach is “cradle-to-cradle” as we converted waste stream
materials from consumers and the local fashion industry into
viable products, positioned as new (McDonough, 2002). Here,
fashion doll bodies are diverted from waste sources and collected
from thrift stores and donations to be cleaned and repurposed
into VancouverGirl dolls. Outfits and accessories are designed by
emerging local fashion designers and created from fabric scraps
gathered from the area’s soft goods and fashion industries. Pro-
duction of the finished pieces is provided by members of charity
organizations, like Craftworks. Completed dolls are boxed in sus-
tainable, recycled card packaging, and positioned in store as new.
This line should appeal to anyone who would buy a traditional
fashion doll like Barbie”, but gains the added value of locally
relevant designs and the sustainable benefits of buying a doll cre-
ated with hardly any new material. Customers are encouraged to
return their dolls to the store for refurbishment, should they ever
decide they are no longer wanted, which keeps VancouverGirl in a
closed-loop system, and hopefully out of the waste stream.

Vgirl fab// Vgirl fab takes its name from “fabulous fabrication”
and provides the craft practice element to the Vgirl line. This line
shifts the focus from a product to a service by creating a guided
in-store craft and play experience helping girls in giving their
own dolls a makeover. This allows them to create a new doll of
their own design. Clients can either provide their own materials
or draw from the same fabric cuttings as Vgirl. As with the retail
line, the finished doll is packaged as new, but this time with the
creator’s signature on the box, marking it as an original creation.
Vgirl fab should appeal to the maker audience and to those who
are more acclimatized to sustainable issues. It represents the
deepest level of involvement with the brand and the doll creation
process. This process should encourage the clients to be advocates
for VancouverGirl and to share their experiences with others.
Sustainable value is created through the same method as Vgirl,
but takes a deeper meaning as the clients are able to layer their

24 CURRENT

Figure 2.

Jacquie Quenneville works with the Barbie™ card sort

own personal, social and cultural influences crafting the doll,
building a deeper relationship with the object they have created
(Suri, 2003). While it is less likely that Vgirl fab dolls will be
returned to the store, they are always welcome to come back for
another makeover.

VG Couture// VG Couture is the most disruptive line as it pitches
the reclaimed dolls as highly aspirational luxury products, evoca-
tive original creations hand-made by local fashion designers. The
couture dolls are dressed using a high fashion visual language
and presented using the luxury brand grammar of conspicuous
extravagance balanced against restrained cultivation and con-
servatism (Dru, 2002). The environmental message is completely
subsumed under the glamorous sheen of the presentation, yet the
dolls are no less sustainable than any in the Vgirl line.

VG Couture products, while intended to be sold, are at their
most effective on display as ambassadors for VancouverGirl and
are designed to reach those that are immune to the messaging of
the Vgirl lines. In this case, sustainable value is created by elevat-
ing what was once garbage to a level of desirability and collection,
thus preventing their return to the waste stream. Each doll is an
irreplaceable original and builds value through association with
the designer-creator, who lends their image and their culture to
their creation (Vitta, 1985).

CONCLUSION// After three months my team returned to FCE
to present our findings to our co-creators and their parents. The
highlight of the presentation was a doll in a brilliant red ball
gown, her blonde hair set against a fan of black peacock feathers.
This was the creation of Ric Yuenn, a local evening wear designer
who volunteered to make one of his signature dresses at fashion
doll scale as an example of the VG Couture line. The reaction
was immediate as soon as Yuenn’s doll was revealed, the girls
swarmed the table, grabbing the doll and excitedly talking to each
other about how beautiful she was.