Carlyle Nuera - Lead Designer for Barbie Signature at Mattel
Carlyle Nuera is a Lead Designer for Barbie Signature at Mattel from Los Angles, CA. He graduated from OTIS College of Art and Design majoring in product design, and began his career designing Barbies at Mattel almost a decade ago. His interest in dolls began as a kid playing with dolls and designing, customizing the dolls. At Mattel, Carlyle is designing “Barbies that allow people to feel seen & represented, whether it's because of the doll's skin tone, facial features, body type, hair texture/style or just the fashion's vibe.” Among the high end collectible Barbies Carlyle has designed— Billie Jean King Barbie, Luciana Barbie, Gabby Douglas Barbie— Carlyle’s debut doll was Mutya Barbie, a Barbie inspired by his Filipino heritage. Mutya Barbie was an instant favorite among doll collectors and Filipinos alike, dressed in an organza terno with the beautiful butterfly sleeves.
In 2019, Carlyle debuted “Panit”, a collection of 5 terno blouses, at Pulo Project. “Panit” is the Waray word for “skin”, and Caryle designed 5 terno blouses to represent the shades of skin tone of Filipinos. “I used the terno, a traditional women's garment, because while men are subject to negative beauty standards, women definitely have it much worse. I wanted all the garments to be exactly the same in terms of silhouette, construction and fabric, to represent equality among all skin tones. It's not about denigrating one skin tone over the other, because we all exist and are all beautiful.”
Currently Carlyle designed the collection Barbie BMR1959 from concept to final look, producing a diverse collection of dolls is in 90s-early 2000s street wear style.
Photo courtesy of Carlyle Nuera
How did you create your career path? And were you always interested in fashion and design?
I was always artistic as a kid, designing & drawing outfits for whoever my obsession of the moment was; Sailor Moon, the Spice Girls, etc. In high school, I'd read Vogue magazine in the library during lunch and Project Runway was just debuting on tv. So it was around that time that I realized that I wanted to be a fashion designer.
Were you parents supportive of your choice to pursue an education and career in the arts?
At first, no. Towards the end of high school, my Mom kept pushing me to 'try business' at a well-known school like UCLA or UC Berkeley, where my older siblings went for undergrad. I think her hesitation was really just fear; fear that I'd struggle after art school to find a stable job. To be fair, we didn't know of any examples of successful, stable artists back then. I almost pursued nursing too, only because I thought it was a direct way to a stable job and I have an uncle who was a nurse. My plan was to go to nursing school, graduate, get a job, then while working the night shift, take art/design/fashion classes during the day. It was my Dad who shook me out of that idea, asking me 'if fashion is what you want to do eventually anyway, why waste your time with anything else?' So I applied to art schools in LA and New York, and only got into one; OTIS College of Art and Design in LA, which worked out because my Mom didn't want me to be in New York by myself anyway. Throughout my four years at OTIS, both of my parents and the rest of my family were absolutely supportive, financially and every which way. There was a moment after my third year that tested that support; I got a D in my fashion illustration class and would have to wait a year to repeat that semester and the whole school year, therefore spending another year's tuition, which was $30k at the time. I felt guilty as fuck to have failed when my parents risked so much and invested so much money in me and my education, especially in the context of why they immigrated to the USA. But, I eventually switched majors from fashion design to product design and was still able to move on to my fourth year and graduate on time. My graduation day happened to be on Mother's Day that year, so it was the perfect gift. And then to get the job at Mattel designing Barbies, I think that really calmed any fears that my Mom ha about me being financially stable. And then to be at Mattel for nearly 10 years and to be successful in my lane, my parents couldn't be more proud.
How did you find your way to designing for Barbie?
I've always played with dolls since I was a kid. It was tough for me as a boy to play with dolls. At times I definitely felt shame and guilt. I remember hearing things like 'you're going to be in first grade and still playing with dolls?' I remember literally throwing my Snow White doll in the trash, thinking I could be 'done' with dolls. But that didn't work obviously because I always found my way back to playing with dolls. In high school, I got really into customizing my dolls, photographing them and sharing them in doll communities online. And then soon after I graduated from OTIS, there was an email blast sent out to the new graduates that Mattel was looking for an entry-level designer on the Barbie design team. My classmates were like, 'Gurl this is your job, go and get it!' So I applied with my resume and portfolio at first, then got an email back that they were interested. Then I did a series of sketching projects, phone interviews and in person interviews over a two month period, and then finally, got the job. I've been at Mattel designing for Barbie since October 2010.
What has been a highlight in career at Barbie? And what are some of your favorite dolls that you designed?
Overall, it's been designing Barbies that allow people to feel seen & represented, whether it's because of the doll's skin tone, facial features, body type, hair texture/style or just the fashion's vibe. It is absolutely rewarding to see photos of kids with Barbies that look like them, Barbies that I've designed. And I love to see adult collectors having fun and finding joy in collecting and playing with Barbies that I've designed. Mutya Barbie is definitely a favorite, for what she represents and what she's done for my career. I'd say she was my 'debut' to the Barbie collector community and general public.
What was the reaction to the Filipina Barbie, Mutya Barbie?
It was incredible. There was an NBC News Asian America article written about Mutya Barbie and me. When that article came out, I heard that 600 dolls were sold in one day on the Barbie website, which was significant or a Barbie that retailed at $100 and was bought by non-Barbie collectors who might not be used to paying such a high price for a doll. I was on the tv show Kababayan Today; you can check it out on YouTube, I brought my family for a bit of the segment. There are a lot of Barbie collectors in the Philippines, so I received a lot of sweet messages on social media from those collectors saying that they were so thankful & proud to not only have this Barbie, but also to know that a Filipino is at Mattel, designing for an icon like Barbie. I named the Barbie 'Mutya' on purpose, because it's a traditional Filipina girls name and because one of my favorite singers ever is Mutya Buena of the Sugababes. When Mutya Barbie was released, Mutya Buena re-posted the doll on her Instagram and I nearly died. Mutya is one of personal heroes & inspirations, so even though we've messaged over the years, I still get giddy every time she likes one of my posts.
Where has being a designer taken you?
Literally, all over the world. It's been way surreal. I've been invited to and attended Barbie & toy conventions in Madrid, Lisbon, Mexico City, Rome and all over the USA. In June 2019, I was awarded a Global Pinoy Award by MEGA Magazine and was invited to attend the MEGA Ball in Manila and receive the award on stage. I took my parents with me! I was born in the US and this was my first time ever in the Philippines. We spent Father's Day in Bohol, where my Dad is from. Visited the house where he grew up in Tagbilaran (where my aunt & uncle still live), saw the Chocolate Hills that he told me about when I was a kid. It was so special to experience that trip with my parents, especially because it was my career brought me there.
How did the design and concept for your debut collection, "Panit" come about?
Colorism absolutely exists within Filipino culture. I've definitely heard growing up to stay out of the sun because I'd get 'too dark'. My grandpa on my Mom's side is half-white, so within my family, there is a range of skin tones and I'm most definitely on the darker side. You hear who gets called 'pretty' and put on a pedestal and it was always those with fair skin. I lived in St. Louis, Missouri for a bit when I was a kid and I was a part of a Filipino dance troupe. I learned the Maglalatik and performed it with a group of other boys. We were shirtless with the coconut shells strapped to our bodies. There was one kid who was blindingly fair skinned and he was placed front & center in the formation and I was in the back.
I had already finished working on 'Panit' by the time I went to the Philippines for the first time in June 2019, but my trip there just confirmed what I knew & experienced. Billboards of fair-skinned celebrities up high, and then the people below walking on the streets didn't look like that. Any pharmacy I walked into, a plethora of skin whitening products with names like 'Royal White', all available without a prescription or age restriction. So all that is where the concept behind 'Panit' comes from, to show the range of skin tones that Filipinos come in, a range that isn't often shown or highlighted. I used the terno, a traditional women's garment, because while men are subject to negative beauty standards, women definitely have it much worse. I wanted all the garments to be exactly the same in terms of silhouette, construction and fabric, to represent equality among all skin tones. It's not about denigrating one skin tone over the other, because we all exist and are all beautiful.
Photo by Adrian Martin
What do you want people, especially Fil Ams to take away from "Panit"?
My hope is to start the thinking & conversations on colorism within the Filipino community. How have you fallen victim to it and/or perpetuated it? And why? How can we shatter that colonial mentality? And for people viewing the work that aren't Filipino, what stereotypes do you hold about what a Filipino or an Asian person looks like? And where do those come from? And for people of different cultural backgrounds that also experience colorism, a sense of solidarity & connection that we are experiencing similar things but from different perspectives.
What do you find fulfilling in the work that you do?
Using fashion as an art medium through which to express an abstract idea. That's what I want to continue to do with future art pieces. I also write autobiographical essays, poetry, and it's that same expression of abstract ideas or feelings that is fulfilling as an artist.
What/who has been instrumental in your personal and creative growth?
Unrequited crushes, personal failures, teachers & bosses that undermined me have all broke me down but also taught me the most about who I am, who I want to be, and how to move forward and grow. Creatively, having the resources (money, time, skill, ability, talent, etc) to express whatever idea I have allows me to move on to the next idea. If I can't turn that idea or feeling into a poem or a drawing or whatever form, then I'll keep ruminating on it until I'm ready to. Expressing that allows room for new ideas and new creative growth for me.
Do you have any upcoming designs, events that you are excited about?
There's this Barbie line I designed called BMR1959. It's as if 'BMR1959' is a real clothing label and the dolls are all wearing pieces from that label. Currently, the vibe is streetwear with lots of 90s & early 2000s references. The first 6 dolls came out in October of 2019, and four new dolls come out in June 2020. This is a Barbie line that I designed from initial concept to name to color palette to design of the dolls, everything! It's been well received by Barbie collectors, so I'm way excited to give them four new dolls.
Profile photo by Adrain Martin