Louvenia "Kitty" Black Perkins is an
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
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.
Early life and education
Black Perkins was born in racially
segregated Spartanburg, South Carolina. 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.
[Conley, Lind]
"Designer dresses Barbie for success Spartanburg women make history,"
(March 25, 2001) GoUpstate.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015. She moved to
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
to attend
Los Angeles Trade Technical College. Black graduated with an associate degree in fashion design in 1971.
["Kitty Black Perkins,"](_blank)
South Carolina African American Honorees (January 2002). Retrieved February 22, 2015.
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. In 1991 The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' reported that Black-Perkins was responsible for over 100 designs a year, amounting to over one fifth of all of the designs for Barbie. She has received the doll industry's highest honor, the Doll of the Year (DOTY) award.
Black Perkins was Chief Designer of Fashions and Doll Concepts for
Mattel's Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
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).
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.
In 1994 she was named a Woman of the Year honoree by the
National Council of Negro Women.
"Perkins, Louvenia"
Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015. She is also an inductee into the Black Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Black Perkins is divorced and has two children.
See also
* Carol Spencer
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Kitty Black
African-American fashion designers
American women fashion designers
American fashion designers
Barbie
1948 births
Living people