Black culture is the heart of American fashion. During this unique fashion experience, fashion icon, Kitty Black Perkins, former Chief Designer of Fashions and Doll Concepts at Mattel Fashion,and Stacey McBride-Irby, Doll Designer and former Project Designer for Mattel, will reflect on the ways in which Black musicians, artists, designers, and models have influenced the clothes we wear, share business advice for fashion designers and discuss the importance of embracing and empowering Black culture through representation.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00If you've gone your whole life and you've never seen anything made in your own image,
00:04there is damage done.
00:11When I think of Barbie, I see a little white doll with blue eyes in all pink.
00:18That's what I think.
00:19I just found Barbie to be a little light skin.
00:27Years ago, there were no black dolls.
00:29They were all white dolls.
00:32Little white girls, they could see possibility in their Barbies.
00:37And there was nothing that I could relate to.
00:40This is me, the creator of Barbie.
00:42At Mattel, I worked on the lines.
00:46She would say, do you have any suggestions?
00:48I was able to say, we want a black Barbie.
00:52That was a little act of revolution.
00:55Crowning this doll as Barbie was telling the world black is beautiful, too.
01:02I designed black Barbie to reflect the total look of a black woman.
01:08She's black.
01:09She's beautiful.
01:10She's dynamite.
01:11I thought black Barbie felt magical.
01:14From a young age, children can learn about inclusiveness.
01:18Really pretty.
01:19Has locks.
01:20Just like me.
01:21Black Barbie has just taken me to a whole different world.
01:26I knew black Barbie was different, but I never realized the magnitude.
01:38When did you first fall in love with black Barbie?
01:40When I first got one in my hand.
01:54Now please welcome panelists, Stacey McBride-Erby, doll designer and diversity consultant.
02:02Kitty Black Perkins, former chief designer of fashions and doll concepts, Mattel.
02:08And moderator, Terry Broussard-Williams, Forbes BLK National Advisory Board member.
02:14All right, you guys look so beautiful.
02:22I want you to imagine being given a task, and it's a blank masterpiece.
02:28You can create anything, but you create something that will shift a culture, change a generation,
02:35and create a pathway for professionals that follow in your footsteps.
02:41Today I am pleased to introduce you to what I call the most incredible relay team, Kitty
02:46Black Perkins and Stacey McBride-Erby.
02:50Let's give them a round of applause.
02:55These two boss babes aren't just fashion icons, they are culture shifters.
03:00I have to take a moment just to list their accomplishments.
03:04Kitty was the first black woman to serve as chief designer at Mattel, and creator of
03:08the first black Barbie.
03:11Yes, Stacey created the black Barbie line called Sew in Style, and the first sorority
03:20Barbie that just so happens to be an Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated woman.
03:26Let me see those pinkies.
03:30Well, I can't get enough of this style-stealing, history-making duo, but let's get to it.
03:37Kitty, you worked with Netflix on the Juneteenth-released black Barbie documentary.
03:42I watched it, and by the end, I was in tears.
03:46I'll tell you all why before we close today, but it educated me on so much history.
03:52Before watching the documentary, Barbie was just a doll, and I had 50 of them I'd play
03:57with all the time, but your story brought them to life.
04:02In the movie, I learned that you at Mattel started in 1976.
04:06Stacey and I were talking backstage, we're both 70s babies, shout out to us, but I want
04:11you all to see that as a marker of time.
04:14You were walking into this all-white environment in 1976 with a dream of designing, but also
04:20during a time when organizations like Operation Bootstrap worked hard to ensure that African
04:27Americans had the technical skills to work at places like Mattel.
04:31I'd love for you just to tell us what it was like.
04:34What were you doing and thinking on that first day?
04:36Well, I have to tell you the first day that I went to Mattel to do the interview was very,
04:46very, it was difficult in some ways and it was rewarding in others in that when I walked
04:58into Mattel, I had a recruiter, and she gave me directions on what I was supposed to do,
05:08and I did that.
05:09I did all of that.
05:11She said not to worry about the cost or anything like that, just to make sure that my designs
05:17were nice and all of that if I wanted to get the job.
05:22Well, I did everything she told me to do.
05:26I went out and I bought the finest of silks.
05:29I gave her a big hat.
05:33I did everything that a fashion doll should look like, and she was absolutely gorgeous.
05:41I took it back and they said to me, I'm sorry, Mattel could never produce anything like this,
05:53and instead of going away, just taking it, I called back and I said, look, I was given
06:03the wrong direction.
06:05I want a second chance.
06:07So they gave it to me.
06:09So instead of doing one doll, I did six.
06:15I took them back.
06:17I was hired on the spot, and all six of those dolls went into the line that year.
06:27Incredible.
06:28It was fantastic.
06:34So I actually was hired.
06:36I walked into Mattel for the very first time, and I was greeted by Beulah Mitchell, who
06:47was a secretary in the facilities department, and of course, every black person in the company
06:58came to visit me, which was great, and of course, maybe you can count them on your hand.
07:05It wasn't very many, but I felt very welcome from the start.
07:11So when I started to design the black Barbie doll, I had total autonomy over the doll,
07:20and I was told to design it the way that I wanted it, and there was no questions about it.
07:29It's incredible.
07:30I even sit here, having watched the movie, listening to you talk.
07:34You have been divinely led throughout the way, and y'all, if you haven't seen the documentary
07:38yet, one of my favorite parts is when Beulah and Kitty are talking, and Beulah looks at
07:45you, and she's like, you were the black Barbie in your convertible car.
07:49So I love hearing that they had a homecoming for you at the start.
07:54You felt that creativity.
07:55You felt that love, and as I was watching the movie, I saw the three of you, Beulah,
08:01you, and Stacey.
08:02It's this incredible relay team, right?
08:04Yes.
08:05Beulah paved the way for you, and she said, she made the request, which led to you being
08:11there.
08:12She said, we need a black Barbie, and then here you are, creating that black Barbie,
08:17and then here comes Stacey, your mentee, and you extend that relay, that baton to her,
08:23and you're like, go and run.
08:25And so I truly would love to hear from you.
08:28What was it like, you know, forging the way of your own career, but also creating pathway
08:33for a mentee like Stacey?
08:35Well, I have to tell you, Stacey was one of a kind in her own being.
08:44Stacey came to me for, I was looking, I had advertised that I was looking for a designer.
08:53Stacey came, she had this folder that had all of these articles in it, and so we sat,
09:01I told her what I expected of her as a designer.
09:06We went through her qualifications, all of her experience, all of that, and I said to
09:14her that I needed her to take a doll home, and dress it, and bring it back, along with
09:22all of her patterns, so that I could check to see if she could actually do the work.
09:28Well, she was packing up to go, and then this folder falls, and all these articles fall
09:35out of me, okay?
09:39She did this on purpose, because I know, she dropped all this stuff, and I'm looking at
09:48these articles with my picture all over them, and stuff.
09:52So, she said, oh, I'm sorry, she started picking them up, and I said, Stacey did that on purpose,
10:01but it's what got her the job.
10:04The Lord did that.
10:05Yes, he will make a way, but she was qualified, so I couldn't say anything, but it felt really,
10:15really good to have another black person in my group, and she was so enthusiastic.
10:26She wanted to learn, she wanted to, she was just so bubbly, and she was creative, and
10:34just all of this energy coming out into the Barbie group, and it was absolutely wonderful.
10:41Thank you.
10:42Thank you.
10:43I love it, and I'm here for that energy.
10:45Stacey, I turn to you.
10:47At what age did you know you were interested in fashion?
10:50Who were your inspirations?
10:52And you had this secret service file on Kitty.
10:55Was she always your inspiration?
10:57Well, Barbie, well, she's black Barbie, so Barbie was actually my inspiration.
11:03I played with Barbie until I was around 13, so that's kind of old to be playing with Barbie
11:11at the time, but Barbie inspired me to be a fashion designer because I loved all her
11:18clothes, mix and matching her fashions, creating hairstyles for her to go with the fashions,
11:25and when I got 13, I actually started drawing more and creating my own fashions, and my
11:33dad was creative, so he was my inspiration as well as Kitty and Barbie, and here we are
11:40today.
11:41I couldn't imagine being a black Barbie designer at Mattel at the time when I was 13, so my
11:47inspiration.
11:48It's incredible.
11:49So I want to turn to business.
11:52We're here today, you know, as part of this Forbes Summit, so we have to talk a little
11:56business.
11:57Now, you left Mattel in 2011 to start your own line of dolls called the One World Doll.
12:04I want you to share a little bit about your business.
12:07So many of us, so many African Americans excel in corporate America, yet they're afraid to
12:12take that leap of faith to start their own business.
12:15What steps did you take?
12:17You know, what obstacles did you overcome?
12:19And truly give us a look under the hood of your business.
12:22Okay, so I'm going to have a candid moment with you guys.
12:25Is that okay?
12:26Yeah.
12:27Okay, so when I was at Mattel, I created the Sewing Style line of dolls.
12:32Great publicity.
12:34I was able to go on the UNCF Empower Me Tour.
12:39I was a mother of two, and I didn't have much work-life balance.
12:47So I'm like, okay.
12:49When I met at the UNCF Empower Me Tour, I met my co-founder of the One World Doll project.
12:56And he asked me, he was like, so what is your dream?
12:59What is your goal?
13:00What do you want to do?
13:01And I said, my dream is to create a line of fashion dolls kind of reflective of American Girl.
13:11And he was like, well, let's do it.
13:13I did not expect that.
13:15I'm sorry.
13:16I did not expect that response.
13:18And it kind of scared me.
13:20I'm like, is this time for me to leave Mattel?
13:24So I put in my two weeks notice.
13:28Wow.
13:29And I was able to leave Mattel because I didn't want to fail as a parent.
13:33I just felt like I needed to balance my life.
13:36And I didn't want to fail as a parent.
13:38So I chose my children and entrepreneurship.
13:42Yes.
13:43Thank you.
13:46Tell us a little more of what that looks like.
13:48How have you allowed your business to thrive?
13:50What are the skills?
13:52Talk about your margins.
13:54Help us understand how you define growth.
13:56Okay.
13:57So that's another thing.
13:58I had a business partner.
14:00I was basically the creative director.
14:02I did the networking with former Mattel employees to create the new sculpt for a new body.
14:10The hair design team.
14:12I had an executive that used to work at Mattel who was an engineer.
14:19So he got us the manufacturing plant.
14:21We vetted out three manufacturing plants.
14:23Went to China for two weeks.
14:25So I was that side of the business.
14:27And then my co-founder, he was the business side who got the investors and that team together.
14:35So I can't really talk about the numbers.
14:37But I do know that we landed in Walmart on show.
14:41Okay.
14:42That's incredible.
14:44So if you had a bottom line that you were the creative force.
14:47You did what you did well.
14:49And you had a business partner that could take care of the details to make sure the business was thriving.
14:53Yes.
14:54Thank you for that.
14:55Now I have a question for both of you.
14:57I would love for you to speak about how you blend your creative inspiration and business.
15:03You know, you two aren't just designers.
15:06You know, you are businesswomen.
15:08And you also serve as business consultants in the diversity space or the doll space.
15:12So how important is it to operate from both sides of that coin?
15:16The creative coin and also the consulting coin?
15:20Well, I actually took a lesson from Mattel.
15:25And I watched every aspect that we had to go through in order to get our doll to market.
15:35And one of the things that I know that was real important is you cannot just create something and put it there.
15:46And expect people to understand it and know how to market it and all of that.
15:53So after I did my design, I actually had to sell it to the company.
16:02That in itself was an experience that I had never experienced before.
16:10I had to go up several levels because there's several levels of marketing.
16:16There's like the lower level.
16:20And then of course their boss.
16:22And then their boss.
16:24And it goes all the way up to the vice president.
16:28Then you have to sell it to the sales force.
16:32Well, I'll share with you guys one little story that is really, really funny.
16:39How many people know about the movie White Christmas with Bing Crosby singing?
16:49Okay.
16:51I had to present my doll, my holiday Barbie, which was the one in all white with white fur.
17:01I had to present that doll to the sales force.
17:06And I had stayed up all night trying to get the doll together.
17:11Trying to do everything that I needed to do to make the doll absolutely perfect.
17:17Well, I created a doll stand that was actually like a present.
17:23And it had a bow on the lid of it.
17:29Well, when you lift the lid, the walls of the box fell open.
17:36And that was my display stand.
17:38And there in the center was holiday Barbie.
17:42Okay.
17:44She was beautiful.
17:46She was in a white gown.
17:48She had white fur.
17:50She reminded me of the movie White Christmas.
17:54And because I had not slept that night, and I was exhausted, all of that, I was speechless.
18:06Here I am with this doll.
18:10Laying on the table.
18:12Absolutely gorgeous.
18:14And I have nothing to say.
18:16So what do I do?
18:18I broke out in song.
18:20I started singing White Christmas.
18:24And I have to tell you, I cannot sing.
18:26Okay.
18:28But with that being my presentation, after I finished singing, I said, and this is your 1982 holiday Barbie, White Christmas.
18:42And of course, I got a standing ovation.
18:44But the point is that you have to actually be able to sell your product.
18:48You can't just do it and sit it.
18:50It has to go through all of these stages.
18:52So I had to learn that very quickly.
18:54It's the same way with Black Barbie.
18:56When I designed Black Barbie, there was a lot of questions.
18:59As around her hair, her skin tone, her features and all of that.
19:23So I had to explain all of that.
19:25They wanted to know because one of the main plain patterns.
19:27main playing patterns for our Barbie dolls is the hair play.
19:33And because I chopped off all of Black Barbie's hair,
19:37they wanted to know, well, where's the hair play?
19:41And I said, well, hey, I gave her a pick.
19:43You know, it's not like she had to have a comb.
19:47So that was cool.
19:50They also wanted to know, well,
19:53she doesn't have a big ball gown.
19:55So I said, well, she has a slim silhouette
20:01because I got my inspiration from Diana Ross,
20:07the Supremes.
20:09And every time they go on stage,
20:12they're absolutely gorgeous.
20:15And if I were a singer or an entertainer or anybody,
20:20I would actually look like Diana Ross.
20:24Now, Diana Ross has a designer who is very famous,
20:29Bob Mackie, and he's designed for people like
20:32Carol Burnett, Cher, Diana Ross.
20:36And so, and he actually is commissioned by Mattel
20:42to do a doll a year.
20:45So he has a lot of involvement with Barbie.
20:49Well, this in itself was an inspiration for me.
20:53So when I designed Black Barbie,
20:55I wanted to give her bold jewelry.
20:57I wanted her to have a slim silhouette.
21:00She has a wider nose.
21:02Her lips are a little bit thicker than Barbie.
21:05And I wanted her to be the opposite of what White Barbie was
21:10because that in itself is what made her number one.
21:18So Barbie is the number one fashion designer
21:23and fashion doll in the world,
21:26not just the industry, in the world,
21:28because Barbie is sold across the country.
21:33And she has a billion plus fashions.
21:40And I feel good that I was able to contribute
21:42to her billion plus fashion.
21:46So I made a big dent in that.
21:48So with Barbie being number one,
21:51then what that does, it elevates Black Barbie
21:56to that position because her name is Barbie.
22:00That is a lesson in itself.
22:02Yeah.
22:03And I love that so much.
22:05We don't have much time left, ladies.
22:06You have about 10 minutes left.
22:08I would love to call for a slide
22:10just so you can see the evolution of Barbie.
22:12And these are three looks that you'll see
22:15when we get the slide up.
22:17This is the first Black Barbie.
22:20And this is the prototype right here.
22:22Isn't that incredible?
22:23Literally the one that Kitty used to make it.
22:26You'll see that iteration of how Barbie went
22:29from something like this to something more life-size.
22:33But we want to bring you something special,
22:35something that's never been done before
22:38at a Forbes BLK Summit.
22:40So we are going to wrap this up,
22:44but first we're going to hear from someone special.
22:47If I can have the incredible
22:53actor and fashion enthusiast, Atlanta's own Miss Lawrence.
22:57Woo!
22:58Woo!
22:59Woo!
23:00Woo!
23:01Woo!
23:01Give it up for Miss Lawrence.
23:03Woo!
23:04Woo!
23:05Woo!
23:06Woo!
23:07Woo!
23:08He is here live as a Black Barbie, who is fabulous.
23:12Thank you.
23:13I have a question for you.
23:15I want you to quickly share some thoughts
23:17of where you see the future of fashion,
23:19especially as it relates to fluidity and inclusion.
23:24I see the future of fashion continuing its quest
23:28to really blur the lines,
23:30the gender lines when it comes to fashion.
23:31I think that there is a strong presence
23:36of masculine and feminine energy in all of us.
23:38And I think that fashion and style should reflect
23:42and be an example of who we are on the inside.
23:44And I think we'll see more of that
23:47in the future of fashion.
23:47I think it's necessary.
23:48And I think people will continue to be,
23:51or continue this upsurge of being unafraid
23:54and unapologetic about how they express themselves
23:57through fashion.
23:58Yeah, and you teach us that every day.
23:59Thank you.
24:00Thank you.
24:01Thank you, Miss Kitty.
24:02How about we get some looks, girl?
24:04Let's get some looks.
24:06So we're going to bring out some incredible
24:08Forbes BLK members and some local advisory board members
24:12who will bring you their very own version
24:16of Barbie-inspired looks.
24:18We're going to start with Erin Hardaway.
24:20She's a Forbes BLK member.
24:22And Erin is inspired by Operation Bootstraps.
24:26So she is the Erin Barbie.
24:28All right.
24:29Woo!
24:30Woo!
24:31Kitty and Stacey, feel free to share some of your thoughts
24:34as we see these incredible models.
24:37Up next is Deanna Mangum, who is a Forbes BLK member,
24:40and she is Sporty Couple Barbie,
24:43because with her is Kurt Mangum,
24:46another Forbes BLK member,
24:48who is Barbie's Sporty Couple accessory,
24:52also known as Ken.
24:53Yay!
24:54Yay!
24:55We like to call Ken Barbie's accessory, don't we?
25:00Miss Etopia Lane is a Forbes BLK
25:03New York City Advisory Council member.
25:06She is Retro Barbie with a New York state of mind.
25:10We love you, representing the Big Apple.
25:13Next up is Brandi Sims,
25:15who is a part of the Forbes BLK Austin Advisory Council.
25:20Brandi is incredible.
25:21I know her in real life.
25:22We live in the same city.
25:24Woo!
25:25And she is pretty much on brand
25:27because she is booked and busy, as always.
25:30Thank you, Brandi.
25:34And after Brandi, we have Sean L. Henry.
25:37He's a Forbes BLK member.
25:39He is Derby Atlanta Ken.
25:42Woo!
25:43Come on, Sean!
25:44Woo!
25:45Woo!
25:46Woo!
25:46Woo!
25:47Woo!
25:48Woo!
25:49Woo!
25:50And now, in conclusion, for us.
25:52Okay.
25:53Okay.
25:53Okay.
25:54Our final look of inspiration
25:56and in tribute to one of our queens of culture.
25:59Kitty, this is from one of your designs,
26:01so you'll know this,
26:02but it's so much fun to see that we have
26:04a live Diana Ross doll.
26:06Miss Erica Wiltz,
26:07Miss Erica Wiltz,
26:08will you please come out?
26:10Look how stunning.
26:11Woo!
26:12Woo!
26:13Woo!
26:14Woo!
26:14This particular outfit was inspired by Bob Mackie.
26:18He did a 1980,
26:2119,
26:23no,
26:242004 doll
26:27of Diana Ross.
26:29And this was actually what she looked like.
26:34Fabulous.
26:35Thank you.
26:41I have one final question for you.
26:44Miss Diana Ross, if you don't mind,
26:45just step in here for a second.
26:47Yes.
26:49We have about five minutes left,
26:51so if you can quickly answer this question.
26:53What is on the horizon for 2025, ladies?
26:58Oh, gee.
26:59Well, for me,
27:00I am doing some diversity consultant
27:04because businesses need African American,
27:07more dolls or culture.
27:10So I am consulting with a couple of toy companies.
27:15And also, I want to try this business thing out again.
27:19So that's-
27:20Yes!
27:21We love this for you.
27:23That's in the horizon.
27:25MSI toys, maybe?
27:27You know?
27:28We're going to try this out,
27:29so I'm not giving up on my dream.
27:32I am actually,
27:35I've been called back to Mattel to do-
27:38Fill the key.
27:39Yes.
27:41To do the 2025 Black Barbie doll.
27:47Wow.
27:50So it will hit the market in 2025.
27:58It's so incredible.
27:59And we also have to take a moment
28:01to give a shout out to Netflix.
28:02No one told me to do this,
28:03but when I think about it,
28:05they gave you all this incredible,
28:07incredible opportunity to tell a story
28:10about your love, and it's real,
28:12the story of your career,
28:14to inspire us once again.
28:16You know, even,
28:17I realized when we were preparing for this
28:19that my mother has that AKA Barbie doll
28:22next to the China in the curio cabinet.
28:24And y'all, if you have that doll,
28:25it is worth $3,000.
28:27They're helping us become doll collectors.
28:30You know?
28:31So I often say there are these people
28:34in the world called fire starters.
28:36And a fire starter is someone
28:38that sees something that others ignore.
28:41But they take a moment to recognize it
28:45and to take action.
28:46They take that first step
28:48to turn that moment into a movement.
28:50And you all embody this.
28:52You know, I was in tears
28:53at the end of the documentary.
28:55You know, I am someone who holds the titles
28:58of first of many, just like you all.
29:01At my company, I'm the first lobbyist
29:03at the firm that's 102 years old.
29:05But when I think about it,
29:06you've created this with a doll.
29:09You've created the opportunity for,
29:11you know, Rihanna to have Fenty and Sephora,
29:15for dolls to be inclusive,
29:17for Barbies to have hips.
29:19Y'all, come on now.
29:21You all did that,
29:22but you did it in this way
29:24that taught us sisterhood,
29:26that taught us mentorship,
29:27that taught us entrepreneurship.
29:31So on behalf of all of us, thank you.
29:33Just thank you so much
29:34for giving us the opportunity
29:36to be ourselves every day.
29:37I wore braids last week at work, y'all.
29:40You know, because of you.
29:42So I'll end there
29:43and I'll ask the rest of our Barbies
29:44to come out so we can have
29:45one more look at them
29:47and be inspired by their fashion.
29:49And now, the next, what's later,
29:51to come in 2025,
29:53we will be talking about your documentary
29:56and your awesome doll
29:57and your awesome line
29:58and all the things.
30:00And let's give it up for these
30:02Forbes Be OK members
30:03just one more time.
30:04Thank you all.
30:06We're going to join you
30:07so we can get some pictures.
30:27Thank you all.
30:28Let's give them another round of applause.
30:30Yes.
30:32100 percent.
30:34Thank you so much.
30:36Thank you.
30:37OK.