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 in the late 1970s; previous Black dolls in the line were marketed as Barbie's friends.
Kitty Black Perkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Louvenia Black 1946 or 1947 (age 77–78)[1] |
| Alma mater | Los Angeles Trade Technical College |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Years active | 1971-2003 |
| Known for | Fashion designer for Barbie, creator of the first Black Barbie |
| Awards | Doll of the Year award,1994 Woman of the Year honoree of National Counsel of Negro Women |
Early life and education
editBlack 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
editBlack 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" (1979-1980) the first African American doll from Mattel to have the name Barbie and not be a friend of Barbie but Barbie herself, "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]
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 1994 she was named a Woman of the Year honoree by the National Council of Negro Women.[6] She is also an inductee into the Black Hall of Fame.[3]
Personal life
editBlack Perkins is divorced and has two children.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Doll fashion designer. Ebony. May 1992.
- ^ a b "Kitty Black Perkins," Archived 2015-02-26 at the Wayback Machine South Carolina African American Honorees (January 2002). Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Beyette, Beverly, "A Dress-Up Job : Barbie's Principal Designer Scales Down Glamour and Plays Up Fantasy," (February 6, 1991) Retrieved: February 22, 2015.
- ^ ""Perkins, Louvenia" Archived 2015-02-24 at the Wayback Machine Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.