Writing / Speaking
FOUNDER & COMPANY BIO
Sonia Smith-Kang is a multiracial female founder based in Los Angeles, California. As a writer and public speaker, she focuses on topics around multiracial identity and parenting.
She has been featured on NBC’s Today Show as a mom entrepreneur, The Real, NPR, KPCC, HuffPost Live, CBS, and ABC News. Her design are in editorials like Latina Magazine, InTouch, Babiekins, Earnshaws, and Pregnancy & Newborn.
Sonia is a graduate of The Workshop at Macy’s, an exclusive retail vendor development program designed to give select high potential minority- and women-owned businesses the tools to better succeed and sustain growth in the retail industry.
Born in Puerto Rico to a Black father and Mexican mother, Sonia understands the ins and outs of multiracial life. As the daughter of military parents, she was afforded the opportunity to see the world and connect with communities around the globe, an experiences that has informed how she sees the world as a woman and mother. Sonia understands what it means to be multiracial.
From feelings of not being "enough" of one ethnicity or another, to blending cultures and languages, and raising kids in an increasingly multicultural world. Through her life experiences, Sonia has become determined to bridge gaps between cultures and communities.
After attending college, she became a critical care nurse (RN) and dedicated her time teaching her colleagues in the medical field how to use an intersectional approach in healthcare.
Later she would go on to marry her Korean-American husband and have children, further solidifying her commitment to raising a multicultural, multiracial and multilingual family.
She became even more aware of the artwork, books, music, and even the clothes brought into her home. She wanted everything her kids interacted with to not only instill pride, but promote cultural awareness and understanding. As the kids got older, they were placed in activities and attended events that explored all of their rich cultural heritage. But one thing was still missing.
When it came to clothing there was a limit on what was available year round. While they did have access to traditional clothing for cultural customs, ceremonies and special occasions, there were few everyday designs that could give her children the same sense of pride in between holidays.
After discussing the issue with other multicultural families, Sonia realized that there was a need and desire among parents for something more. She started working on designs and founded Mixed Up Clothing, a multicultural children's apparel company focused on highlighting the beauty and vibrant cultures of the world.
Mixed Up Clothing is more than a clothing line. It’s part of a larger cultural movement. Founder, Sonia Smith-Kang also uses her fashion brand as a vehicle to teach about diversity and inclusion. Each item of apparel showcases a unique culture and comes with a hang tag that shares information about the culture being highlighted.
At a time when the multiracial community is outpacing other populations, it's important for families of all backgrounds to see accurate representations of their culture in everyday life.
With Mixed Up Clothing, Sonia able to introduce others to the diverse cultures of the world and ignite global understanding.
Hire / Book Sonia for your next event:
Sonia is available to speak at schools, educational conferences, on panels and at local and national events. Her talks are focused multiracial identity, the importance of representation, parenting multiracial kids and intersectionalism while working with diverse communities.
To learn more about Sonia and reach out to discuss possible collaborations, please click the link below to download her media kit / speaker sheet:
Click here to download Sonia's Media Kit / Speaker Sheet.
Below are some examples of past speaking events. To view full list of press articles, please click here.
Examples of past speaking engagements:
February 2017 - Speaker at Critical Mixed Race Studies (CMRS) at USC 2/26/16 Sonia talks on "Transferring Race: Mixed Parents Reflect on Raising Mixed Children," she is also the Chair of the "Being All of Me" MASC Roundtable Link>>
September 2016 - #ConnectHer17 conference
9/16 Sonia is announced for next year’s #ConnectHer Conference with the panel “Turn Your Great Idea Into A Small Business”.
September 2015 - Speaker, Blogalicious '15
Sonia was a speaker at Blogalicious '15 on a panel titles "Fashionpreneurship: Empire Building Advice for Multi-Ethnic Designers". It was a workshop about following your heart and passion for fashion and building your empire. Sonia spoke to the audience about how to take the lead on building their own fashion and style brand and advise them on how to build their own empires vigorously, systematically and how to gain exposure to take their empires to the forefront.
Novemeber 2014 - Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference 2014
Sonia participated in a panel discussion about the culture of business and being multiracial.
September 2014 - Niche Parent Network and Conference 2014
Sonia was part of an expert panel discussing strategies to increase recognition of your brand.
Link>>
April 2014 - Be Blogalicious
Sonia and Mixed Up Clothing are featured in Be Blogalicious.
Link>>