Kitty Black Perkins

Last updated
Kitty Black Perkins
Born
Louvenia Black

1946 or 1947 (age 78–79) [1]
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Alma materLos Angeles Trade Technical College
OccupationFashion designer
Years active1971-2003
Known forFashion designer for Barbie, creator of the first Black Barbie
AwardsDoll of the Year award, 1994 Woman of the Year honoree of National Counsel of Negro Women

Louvenia "Kitty" Black Perkins is an African American fashion designer. The majority of her career was spent designing clothing for Barbie dolls. She designed the first Black Barbie, launched in 1980; previous Black dolls in the line were marketed as Barbie's friends.

Contents

Early life and education

Black Perkins was born in racially segregated Spartanburg, South Carolina. [2] The daughter of Luther Black and Helen Goode Black, she is one of seven children. In 1967 she graduated from Carver High School, Spartanburg's Black high school, which closed when the school system was desegregated in 1970. [1] She moved to California to attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College. Black graduated with an associate degree in fashion design in 1971. [3]

Career

Black Perkins worked in non-doll fashion for six years before responding to a blind classified ad from Mattel. She reports never having had a Barbie doll until she purchased one to prepare for the interview. She became principal designer for Barbie in 1978. [4] In 1991 The Los Angeles Times reported that Black-Perkins was responsible for over 100 designs a year, amounting to over one fifth of all of the designs for Barbie. [5] She has received the doll industry's highest honor, the Doll of the Year (DOTY) award.[ citation needed ]

Black Perkins was Chief Designer of Fashions and Doll Concepts for Mattel's Barbie line for over twenty-five years. Her designs include the "First Black Barbie" (1980), [6] "Shani and Friends" (1991) a short-lived line of African-American dolls, "Holiday Barbie" (1988, 1989, 1990, 1996), "Fashion Savvy Barbie" (1997), "Bathtime Barbie" and "Brandy" (1999).[ citation needed ]

Black Perkins is featured in the documentary Black Barbie , [7] which premiered at the 2023 South by Southwest film festival. [8]

Recognition

In 1994 she was named a Woman of the Year honoree by the National Council of Negro Women. [9] She is also an inductee into the Black Hall of Fame. [3]

In May 2001, Mattel donated a Barbie that Black-Perkins designed for the permanent collection of the South Carolina State Museum. It is a Barbie dressed in a pink satin and tulle ball gown with a double row of rosettes at the hem.[ citation needed ]

In 2020, Bill Greening designed the 40th Anniversary First Black Barbie Doll in honor of Black Perkins, who was his mentor. [10] [11] [12] At the time, Mattel faced criticism that a white man was responsible for designing a black doll. [13] In response, Black Perkins publicly announced support for Greening's work on the doll, saying that “You don’t have to be Black to design Black.” [11]

In 2025, Greening and Kitty Black Perkins collaborated to design and release the 45th Anniversary Kitty Black Perkins Barbie Doll. [14]

Personal life

Black Perkins is divorced and has two children. [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Conley, Linda "Designer dresses Barbie for success Spartanburg women make history," Archived 2015-02-25 at the Wayback Machine (March 25, 2001) GoUpstate.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  2. ↑ Doll fashion designer. Ebony. May 1992.
  3. 1 2 "Kitty Black Perkins," Archived 2015-02-26 at the Wayback Machine South Carolina African American Honorees (January 2002). Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Cultural Icon: Dabbler in Careers Barbie Lives On" Archived 2023-04-11 at the Wayback Machine (March 3, 1991) Associated Press, Blade Wire New Service, Retrieved on February 22, 2015.
  5. ↑ Beyette, Beverly, "A Dress-Up Job : Barbie's Principal Designer Scales Down Glamour and Plays Up Fantasy," (February 6, 1991) Retrieved: February 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ "In 'Black Barbie,' the 44-year-old doll reclaims her spotlight". TODAY.com. June 19, 2024.
  7. ↑ Roeper, Richard (2024-06-18). "'Black Barbie': Netflix doc collects insights about the importance of relatable dolls". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  8. ↑ "'Black Barbie' Documentary Acquired by Netflix and Shondaland". Variety . 2023-10-10. Archived from the original on 2024-08-14. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  9. ↑ ""Perkins, Louvenia" Archived 2015-02-24 at the Wayback Machine Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ Harris, Annika (2020-02-03). "Mattel Releases 40th Anniversary Tribute to Black Barbie Doll". UPTOWN Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  11. 1 2 "In 'Black Barbie,' the 44-year-old doll reclaims her spotlight". NBC News. 2024-06-20. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  12. ↑ Finnegan, Stephanie (2020-02-24). "Black Barbie 40th Anniversary | DOLLS magazine". DOLLS magazine | Collecting Dolls. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  13. ↑ "Netflix's 'Black Barbie' Shows The Limitations Of Representation". HuffPost UK. 2024-06-19. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  14. ↑ Tingley, Anna (2025-02-05). "Barbie Celebrates 45th Anniversary of First Black Doll With Limited-Edition Collectible of Creator Kitty Black Perkins". Variety. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
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