The Bratz X Oh Polly collab was a letdown… Hear me out!
Written by Larissa
When you think Bratz, what first pops into your mind? For me, it’s that iconic slogan from the animated TV show on CITV that I used to rush home to watch every day after school. But, it’s also the edginess, the effortless cool that the girl gang used to represent to me. A huge part of that was their clothes; Their ‘Passion for Fashion’.
Since the recent revival of Bratz in the past few years, there have been a couple of clothing lines, from Hot Topic and ASOS to Dolls Kill. Most have tapped into the Y2K nostalgia with the brand logo splashed about on a few graphic tees or across some incredibly chunky shoes. So, when I saw Oh Polly was doing a clothing collaboration with the much-loved doll brand, I was intrigued. As a retailer, it doesn’t strike me as the obvious choice for this kind of collection. But, I was willing to give it a chance.
Overall, the Bratz X Oh Polly collection gives off summer festival vibes (very Coachella instagram model) which is odd, in my opinion, because it debuted in March. Their onsite message says the clothing line is “noughties-inspired outfits of your dreams” and while I don’t know that I agree with that, it does deliver micro-minis, ruffles, cut-outs and lots of glitters.
My main gripe with Oh Polly’s take on Bratz is actually the way everything is styled. Pieces like the Sasha Playsuit and Riley Trousers I could 100% see Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Jasmin wearing as part of a Festival Superstar doll line where they headline Glasto. Even some of the subtler pieces like the Amara Jumpsuit have an edgy asymmetric design that screams Bratz.
Something that made the Bratz girls so fun was those crazy layered outfits that included jackets, handbags, and a multitude of other accessories. Unfortunately, there’s something that feels very bare about this collection. The clothes themselves are very fun but where I think Oh Polly dropped the ball is how they delivered the campaign.
I know that ultimately the clothes need to appeal to Oh Polly’s existing customer base. However, often the point of these collabs is to bring in customers of fans from one brand to another, and I don’t think this achieves that goal.
Oh Polly seems to have already moved on from the collection, with pieces being styled by influencers for the best summer looks, alongside the brand's already existing selection of festival wear. Ultimately, they did a good job creating clothes that I could see the girls wearing but presentation is everything and Oh Polly just didn’t quite match up to the drama and cool of the originals.
