Sask. entrepreneur creates Indigenous-inspired outfits for Barbie and Ken

For Lorrie Arnault, Indigenous representation is important.

It’s why the Saskatoon entrepreneur has been transforming Barbie and Ken dolls with tiny handmade ribbon skirts and delicate beadwork.

“The typical Barbie is blonde-haired and fair skin, and that’s fine,” Arnault ruminated. “But the Barbie series came out with a more inclusive set of Barbies. They came out with an Indigenous Barbie, and so I was like ‘This is perfect. She’s perfect.’”

The “Barbie” movie which was a major box-office hit last summer created a demand for more inclusive toys, reigniting the conversations around representation. Mattel came out with the Barbie Fashionistas line, aiming to “celebrate diversity and reflect the world kids see today.”

Arnault said she jumped at the chance to create clothes for the new dolls, which she now sells over Facebook.

“I couldn’t keep up for quite a while when the Barbie movie was out, but that’s okay, because its not meant to be. You’re not mass-producing; you’re only meant to make a certain amount,” she said.

A proud heritage

Arnault is a proud Métis woman who works as an educational assistant at a community school in Saskatoon.

“I grew up my entire life living Métis, being Métis, and being proud. Métis home, Métis tradition, Métis food. And we lived like that,” remembers Arnault.

Arnault’s mother was French Métis from the Duck Lake area, and her father’s side is Cree, hailing from the Middle Lake area.

“My mother was very strong on ensuring that we knew what our heritage was, and knew the cultures of who we are”, said Arnault.

She said sewing and crafting has always come naturally to her, and it’s something she teaches her students. But her journey to launching her business on Facebook began as a way to cope with grief.

“I was just making some skirts for friends, family, just as a healing tool because my mom and my brother had passed away 35 days apart, and so I needed something to use as healing,” she shared.

In September 2022, she created “Tante Lorrie’s Metis Creations” a place to not only list her ribbon skirts and other Métis pieces, but also as a forum for those trying to reconnect with their own Indigenous heritage.

“I was making a lot of skirts for the staff, and then a little bit of a trickling effect from word of mouth, I suppose,” said Arnault. “They started following through Marketplace. The numbers just kept kind of going up on the page!”

Today, there are about 1,700 members on Arnault’s Facebook page, many of them repeat buyers of ribbon skirts.

Arnault said there’s a sense of community that the page brings.

“I want people to feel connection, whether it’s to our heritage through ceremonies or children learning how important that item of clothing is to feel that connection” she explained.

Move over, Malibu Barbie

It’s not only adults feeling the pride of wearing a custom ribbon skirt.

Arnault says the Barbie clothes have ignited a sense of pride in the younger generation as well.

“Just recently a mama came along and she had purchased Barbie with a matching skirt to her (child’s) own,” Arnault recalled. “When I received that picture, I started to cry and laugh at the same time, because she was beaming! And she was just so proud that she matched her dolly. And right there – connection. They see that it’s okay to be us. We’re beautiful.”