Mattel’s iconic doll brand, Barbie, teamed up with Harlem’s Fashion Row to commemorate Black fashion designers with a high-end fashion editorial.
The editorial featured pint-sized versions of outfits created by three designers: Hanifa, Rich Fresh, and Kimberly Goldson, which were displayed on a diverse range of Barbie dolls. The tiny renditions of original designs debuted via the toy’s social media page, @BarbieStyle, on Feb. 24.
“It is @HarlemFashionRow’s mission to introduce and support multicultural designers. We are proud to partner with them and closeout #BlackHistoryMonth by highlighting the varied vision of three celebrated Black designers; @hanifaofficial, @richfresh, and @kimberlygoldson,” Barbie Style wrote on Instagram, beneath an image of the dolls.
View this post on Instagram
They also said they would highlight each of the designer’s perspectives on the important project via their page.
“Stay tuned over the coming days as we highlight each designer’s unique point of view in this exciting collaboration.”
As such, the company uploaded photos of each Barbie on three consecutive days, doing exactly that.
“@hanifaofficial designs for women without limits. The Brooklyn Jacket ‘is our dream coat. It symbolizes our belief that dreams can become [a] reality,’ says founder and creative director, Anifa Mvuemba (@anifam),” they wrote about Washington D.C.-based Mvuemba on Feb. 25. Her look was from her line’s fall 2021 collection.
View this post on Instagram
“‘I’m happy to see that little Black girls everywhere can see themselves starting with their favorite toy.’ she adds.”
The following day, on Feb. 26, they did the same for Memphis-based designer Patrick Henry.
“@richfresh’s genre is luxury athleisure. ‘It’s the rare space where leisure, comfort, and style collide beautifully,’ says [its] founder and designer, @richfresh. This celeb-adored tracksuit is one of his all-time favorite pieces,” Barbie Style said.
View this post on Instagram
“In collaborating with Barbie, he knows that, ‘representation is vital. Involving Black creatives gives us the opportunity to contribute to the narrative… what’s…important is the continued efforts to involve creatives from all backgrounds help represent themselves within the Barbie universe,’” they said that Fresh told them. His look was from his line’s Winter 2021 collection.
Lastly, they wrote about Goldson, a Brooklyn-native who also happened to be a Project Runway finalist during their ninth season.
“@kimberlygoldson, created by sisters Kimberly Goldson and Shelly Powell, is inspired by the flavor of Brooklyn, their hometown. From their “Blissful Evolution” collection, this look’s joyful palette and flirty details celebrate an optimistic outlook for the future,” Barbie Style said.
“‘It is powerful of Barbie to use her platform to help bridge the gap on the way we look at people of various shades and from different backgrounds,’” they said the 46-year-old told them. Her look was from her Spring 2022 collection.
View this post on Instagram
The special edition Barbies aren’t for sale, as they are only meant to support Harlem’s Fashion Row and raise awareness about Black fashion designers during Black History Month.
“Since its inception, Barbie has been a rite of passage, an impression of self-awareness for young girls everywhere. Now, more than ever, Barbie celebrates our differences and I’m excited that Harlem’s Fashion Row gets to play a part in widely diversifying their style, too,” HFR’s founder, Brandice Daniel, reportedly said about HFR’s collaboration with Barbie.
“With this Black History Month collaboration, Black designers — Hanifa, Kimberly Goldson and Rich Fresh — give Barbie fresh-off-the-runway appeal with their unique design aesthetics.”
HFR was founded in 2007 by Daniel, as an agency that would connect brands with fashion designers of color through collaborations, brand strategy, and more. Over the years, they partnered with big corporate entities, including Target, CoverGirl, Pandora jewelry, Macy’s, and others.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in September 2020, Daniel said she was inspired to create her brand after attending a fashion show in Brooklyn. She resided in Harlem at the time and wanted to bring something similar to her area.
“I wanted to do something really elevated,” she told the prestigious magazine. “There is something about Harlem that is incredibly inspiring, and at the time, the creativity, spirit, and buzz there were just undeniable. It was almost like the beginning stages of a new renaissance. I wrote down a bunch of names, and Harlem’s Fashion Row was the one that stuck.”
Her very first HFR show debuted at the River Row restaurant in New York City, on Aug. 17, 2007.
“She has really paved a way for Black designers, and we couldn’t be more grateful,” Goldson said about Daniel in the story. “She should feel validated as a pioneer and a history maker. She should feel like a superhero.”
