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Harlem Fashion Row has partnered with Barbie to design three fashionable Barbie dolls in honor of Black History Month. Designers Kimberly Goldson, Anifa Mvuemba of Hanifa and Fresh of Rich Fresh got to style their own Barbie doll in fashions straight off the runway from their collections.
Fresh’s Barbie, which is inspired by model August McQueen, is dressed in a blue, gold and black tracksuit and matching sports bra, an outfit from his luxury athleisure collection.
“What drew me to the Barbie project the most is the level of inclusivity I saw in the Barbie Universe,” Fresh, born Patrick Henry, said. “There’s Barbies for everybody. Deliberately. I knew this would be a project I could get involved with. It’s important for kids of all cultures to see themselves. Representation is vital. Involving black creatives gives us the opportunity to contribute to the narrative.”
Hanifa’s doll is sporting the “Brooklynn” patent leather coat from her Fall/Winter 21’ runway collection, silver hoops and thigh-high white boots.
“Who didn’t love Barbie as a little girl?! I loved my Barbie Dream House with the most perfect elevator, it gave me the chance to dream in real life,” Hanifa designer and founder Anifa Mvuemba said in a statement. “I’m so thankful for this opportunity to connect to my childhood and I’m happy to see that little Black girls everywhere can see themselves starting with their favorite toy.”
Goldson’s Barbie is elegant, rocking floor length cornrows while wrapped in a long dress adorned with earthy tones from her Spring 2022 “Blissful Evolution” collection.
“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,” Kimberly Goldson said about the collaboration. “That made it important for me to partner with her to wear Kimberly Goldson for Black History Month. I chose a look that personifies the KG aesthetic which is born of our Brooklyn culture and driven by luxury. She’s ready for Bed Stuy!”
