In honor of Black History Month, stylist Zerina Akers collaborated with Barbie to create a series of looks for the doll's Instagram. Akers, who has styled Latto, Neicy Nash, and Chloe x Halle, garnered recognition as Beyoncé's personal stylist. In addition, the highly sought-after trendsetter received an Emmy for her costume designs in Black Is King. Now, Akers is bringing her stylish twist to Barbie's wardrobe. According to The Root, the Akers-Barbie collaboration project presents Barbie as a Black culture icon while celebrating diversity in representation.
When discussing her inspiration for the project with the outlet, Akers commented, “partnering with Barbie and getting to dress yet another icon is such a full circle moment for me—Barbie and Mattel were such a huge part of my childhood and are so nostalgic for me. I’m so excited to reimagine Barbie’s style and help inspire the next generation of fashionistas to dream big!” The costume designer also revealed how when she was a kid, she would find ways to dress up her Barbies to her own tastes. "Whether I was making clothes for my Barbie dolls or styling their hair, I was able to practice different ways to explore creatively as it related to image, appearance, and lifestyle," Akers mentioned.
Barbie Receives A New Look From Zerina Akers
The 36-year-old fashionista added how important representation was when she was in her doll-playing phase. “For me, Barbie was one of my earliest forms of representation. My aunt would buy me the prettiest Black Barbie dolls to play with," she told the outlet. "It was very important for us to see ourselves in the toys we played with and for our dolls to have multicultural 'friends.'” Back in 2020, Akers founded the online marketplace Black Owned Everything. The organization initially started as an Instagram account, but has since grown into a "movement." Black Owned Everything's goal is to bridge Black business and the community through "meaningful and long-lasting participation." The website describes, "it is not ephemeral, trend-based, or short-lived."
The Akers-Barbie collaboration drops today (February 22nd) on Barbie's global Instagram account, @BarbieStyle. The series will be posted as editorial-style photoshoots, all showcasing the best looks from Akers's collection. For news related to pop culture and hip-hop, be sure to check out HNHH.