Barbie collaborates with Queen & Slim designer for Black History Month campaign
‘Representation matters and I’m so grateful to be a part of this moment,’ says costume designer Shiona Turini
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Barbie has launched a new campaign for Black History Month created in collaboration with stylist and costume designer Shiona Turini.
Turini, who worked as a costume designer on the recently released romantic crime drama Queen & Slim, shared a series of photographs of the campaign on her Instagram account.
In one of the pictures, the Barbies are all dressed in red ensembles, one of which is based on a skirt, crop top and jacket combo worn by Turini in real life.
Their hair is also styled in different ways, with a couple of the dolls sporting braided looks and some with Afros.
The doll wearing a red sparkly dress and sitting on a wicker chair in the centre of the frame is inspired by the first black Barbie, who was introduced in 1980.
Turini explained the significance of working on the collection, having grown up always wishing to see herself represented as a Barbie doll.
“I grew up obsessed with @barbie and while she was one of my first fashion icons, I clearly remember seeing shelves for a doll that looked like me and coming up empty handed,” the designer wrote on Instagram.
“The first black Barbie was introduced in 1980 – in a sparkly red dress with an Afro pick in her hair. Here she is, on her customised throne, surrounded by friends created and styled by me.”
Turini thanked Barbie for working alongside her “to create Barbies with braids, finger waves and everything in between”.
“Representation matters and I’m so grateful to be a part of this moment,” the stylist added.
In another image from the campaign, several of the Barbies are styled in dusk pink polo neck bodysuits, with some wearing bold leopard print garments.
Turini explained that the “stand-out” look from Queen & Slim was when she combined snakeskin and tiger prints as part of the same ensemble.
“The contrast of the two patterns completely subverts expectations, and I was excited to use the same formula on pieces such as Barbie’s thigh-high boots to break the traditional mold of dolls I had grown up playing with,” she stated.
Several people praised Turini on her powerful partnership with Barbie.
“Yassssss my little girl is screaming and my adult self is so inspired!” one person wrote on Instagram.
“Representation MATTERS. Congrats for this collab Shiona! Well deserved and even more inspiration for those of us looking at your example of SLAY!” another remarked.
Earlier this year, Barbie manufacturer Mattel launched a new line of dolls with the aim of showcasing “a multi-dimensional view of beauty” and to “represent global diversity and inclusivity”.
The new additions include a doll with no hair and another who has vitiligo, which was created with guidance from a dermatologist.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments