Fashion Ignored Families Like Hers, So Sonia Created Mixed Up Clothing

Before launching Mixed Up Clothing, Sonia Smith-Kang was a critical care nurse. Her shift into entrepreneurship began with a personal mission: to raise her children in a home that fully reflected their multicultural heritage.

Sonia, who identifies as African American and Mexican, was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Hawaii. After moving to California and marrying her Korean American husband, she wanted her children to grow up with books, foods, music, and traditions that honored all parts of who they were.

During Korean celebrations like their 100th day and first birthdays, Sonia saw the joy and pride her children felt wearing traditional hanbok. But she noticed something was missing in their everyday lives, fashion that reflected their identities outside of holidays.

Knowing how to sew since seventh grade and living near LA’s Garment District, Sonia began creating her own pieces using culturally inspired fabrics.

“People started asking about the prints and sharing what they meant in their own cultures,” she recalled. “That’s when I realized this could be a way to spark conversations about identity and belonging.”

What began as a creative outlet quickly turned into something more. She opened an Etsy shop, started selling at local markets, and before long, Mixed Up Clothing was born. Eventually, Sonia left nursing and went all in.

Her story caught national attention when the Today Show featured her under the headline, “Mom of Four Starts Clothing Line That Celebrates Culture and Diversity.”

“I didn’t plan on becoming an entrepreneur,” she said. “But something in me needed to be found. And this business helped me do that.”

What are you most proud of achieving with Mixed Up Clothing so far?

For Sonia, the proudest part of building Mixed Up Clothing isn’t about sales or press. It’s about what the brand gives back to others.

Growing up, she remembers the quiet pride her grandparents carried in what they wore, whether it was a cowboy hat, a guayabera, or a kente cloth top.

But she also remembers how those cultural expressions were often left at the door. “There was this unspoken rule that cultural pride had to be quiet, that it didn’t belong in certain spaces,” she said.

Now, through her designs, Smith-Kang feels like she’s continuing what they started. “It’s my turn. The baton has been passed to me,” she said. “Because they couldn’t always wear those pieces freely, it means everything to create something that helps others feel seen.”

She often hears from customers who say, “I wish this existed when I was a kid,” or “I love that this fabric teaches me something new about another culture.” From nesting dolls to indigenous prints, each fabric becomes more than just fashion—it’s a doorway to conversation.

“What I’m most proud of is being able to connect with people in a real way,” said Sonia. “To communicate, to create community, to make people feel like they belong. That’s what matters most.”

Can you describe a significant setback that you faced in building your business and how you overcame it?

One of the biggest challenges Sonia faced came during the height of the pandemic. Like many founders, she was navigating massive uncertainty, especially when it came to product delivery timelines.

“We were especially impacted here in Los Angeles,” she explained. “There was so much uncertainty around whether your product would even arrive. There were serious backlogs at the ports.”

Since some of her apparel is produced overseas, shipments were delayed or stuck entirely. Smith-Kang remembers the stress of not knowing if her inventory would make it onto a ship, let alone arrive on time. For a growing brand still earning its reputation, the inability to fulfill orders as promised was a serious setback.

“I’ve always wanted to underpromise and overdeliver,” she said. “So not being able to get products to retailers on time was tough.”

Instead of shutting down or making excuses, she turned to the relationships she had spent years building. Sonia reached out to buyers and retail partners directly, offering honest updates and doing her best to maintain trust.

“I had to find my voice in that moment,” she said. “I had to be real and say, ‘I’m disappointed too. Here’s where things stand, and here’s what I can do.’ It wasn’t easy, but it taught me the power of communication and transparency.”

The experience pushed her to grow as a leader. It also clarified the kind of founder she wanted to be, one who faces hard moments head-on, builds trust even in uncertainty, and stays in integrity with her community.

What do you feel has been the biggest risk you’ve taken so far in your business?

Sonia didn’t take the leap into entrepreneurship with a fearless heart. In fact, she describes it as one of the scariest decisions of her life.

“I had left a career that was very stable. I got a paycheck, I had insurance, childcare stipends, and a 401(k). So to walk away from all of that and step into the uncertainty of building a business was a huge risk,” she shared.

But the risk wasn’t just financial. It was emotional too. Smith-Kang faced doubt not only from herself but also from others in her circle.

“People didn’t really get it. Even some family members were like, ‘You’re leaving what? For what?’” she recalled. “I was raised with the mindset that if you get a job, you stick with it. If you happen to like it, great. But happiness wasn’t the goal, stability was.”

For Sonia, choosing to bet on herself went against everything she had been taught. “There really wasn’t encouragement around going out on your own. The message was more like, just get a job, put food on the table, and that’s it.”

She also experienced the weight of others projecting their fears onto her. “You hope people will support you, but sometimes you don’t always get that. And the risk of feeling alone in the process is very real.”

Still, she sees herself as the outlier in the family, the one who took a different path. “There’s always that one person who goes off the beaten path,” she said, laughing. “Well, here she is.”

What do you feel is the most critical lesson you’ve learned as an entrepreneur?

Sonia has learned many lessons over the years, but a few stand out.

“One of the biggest ones is communication,” she said. “My first instinct used to be to bury my head under the pillow and hope things would go away. But you can’t do that. You have to face things, be honest, and communicate.”

Another essential lesson for Smith-Kang has been the importance of being both relentless and resilient. “Being relentless means following up, going after what you want, and understanding that people may need to see your work more than once,” she said. “You have to keep showing up and nurturing those relationships.”

Resilience, on the other hand, is about staying grounded when things feel uncertain. “Sometimes people won’t understand what you’re doing, and that can feel lonely,” Sonia admitted. “But having that inner voice that says, ‘You can do this,’ has been everything for me.”

She’s learned to listen to what keeps calling her. “If it’s keeping me up at night, if it’s the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing before bed, then I know I need to lean into that and keep going.”

Over time, those moments have built something deeper. “The more you act on those nudges, the more you build a point of reference. And with that, your confidence grows.”

Can you describe your experience preparing for the pitch competition and the subsequent crowdfunding campaign? What was that like for you?

Pitch competitions don’t come naturally to Sonia. In fact, she admits they always stir up a bit of anxiety.

“It’s funny because it’s my story, and yet I’ll still blank and ask myself, ‘Wait, what’s my line again?’” she said. “Even my kids will be like, ‘Mom, you were born in Puerto Rico. How do you forget that?’”

For someone who’s used to speaking freely and from the heart, condensing everything into a scripted three-minute pitch felt unnatural at first. “I’m the kind of girl who just talks. My story is usually one big run-on sentence,” Sonia laughed. “But the pitch format requires you to hit all these key things. Who you are, why you’re doing this, what makes you unique.”

Fortunately, the team at Black Girl Ventures helped her every step of the way. “They really broke it down. Step one was, just get it all out. Put your thoughts down. Then they gave us the formula and helped us practice.”

Having the support of her cohort and the expert coaches BGV brought in made all the difference. “Even though I walked in nervous, the preparation helped ease that anxiety,” she said. “It was like, okay, I can do this.”

Sonia jokes that even her husband was surprised by how nervous she got. “He was like, ‘You worked in critical care, in the ICU. And this is what’s making you sweat?’ And I’m like, yes. Slides, clickers, lights, people watching. It’s a lot!”

In the end, though, she showed up and did it. “It wasn’t easy for me, but BGV made sure I felt supported,” Smith-Kang said. “And all that practice paid off.”

What was it like crowdfunding?

For Sonia, crowdfunding pushed her far outside her comfort zone.

“It’s one thing to pop into someone’s stories every now and then,” she said. “But it’s another thing to say, ‘Hey, I’m here. If you believe in this, would you support it?’ That part was hard for me.”

Putting herself out there didn’t feel natural. “Some people are built for that kind of visibility. But for me, I kept thinking, ‘Oh no, everyone’s looking at me,’” she admitted. “It took some real vulnerability.”

At first, she hesitated to ask for support. But something shifted when she started sharing more consistently. “The more I posted, the more people started showing up,” Sonia said. “It reminded me that sometimes folks need to see things a few times before they take action.”

She also pointed out that asking for support isn’t always second nature for founders in underrepresented communities. “For a lot of us, saying what you need isn’t easy. We weren’t necessarily taught to do that,” Smith-Kang said. “But the crowdfund platform made it really simple to use, to share, and to show up in a new way.”

And while it stretched her, it was worth it. “It felt like I was at the edge of my discomfort the whole time,” she said. “Every step it was like, ‘Wait, there’s more?’ But I just kept asking myself, ‘What do I have to do next?’ And I did it.”

Sonia ended the campaign on a high note. “I’m so excited and so happy that I was able to come in first,” she said. “It challenged me, but it also reminded me that people will show up when you let them.”

What advice would you give entrepreneurs preparing for their pitch competitions?

Looking back, Sonia says one of the biggest things she learned is the importance of bringing people along for the ride.

“I wish I had shared more of the behind-the-scenes process. I would’ve taken folks on the journey with me,” she said. “My advice would be to start early. Let people know, ‘I’m so excited to pitch BGV, here’s how you can too.’ Then keep them updated along the way.”

Smith-Kang suggests using social media to share small moments, even if it feels vulnerable. “Post things like, ‘Your girl is going up in five minutes. Wish me luck.’ Just those simple touchpoints help people feel invested,” she said.

Though the idea of sharing in real time brought her some anxiety, Sonia sees now how valuable it could have been. “If I had brought folks in sooner, they might’ve shared advice or said, ‘I felt the same way.’ And by the time I got to the crowdfunding stage, they would’ve already been emotionally invested and ready to support.”

Her biggest takeaway? Build connections before you ask for support. “When people feel like they’ve been part of the journey, they’re more likely to cheer you on all the way to the finish line.”

Where in your business did you allocate the funds?

Sonia put the funds directly into growth.

“I have a contractor now who’s helping as a fractional COO,” she explained. “So part of the money is going toward that hire, helping us get to the next level.”

A major focus of her pitch was launching new collaborations and releasing a new collection. The funding is helping her execute both.

“It’s going exactly where I said it would. We’re making sure we have all the assets we need to start pitching larger retailers and boutiques,” Smith-Kang said. “The goal is to get into more doors.”

That also means investing in marketing and strategic support. “It’s about being able to leverage myself a bit more and bring in allies who believe in the mission,” she added.

Support for women of color entrepreneurs can often be limited. Can you share an experience where this might have been a hurdle for you?

Breaking into retail spaces hasn't been easy. As Sonia explains, some of the biggest challenges show up in the rooms where key decisions are made.

“As a fashion brand trying to get into boutiques and large retailers, it’s hard when the people you’re pitching to don’t look like you,” she said. “And even more than that, they may not have the life experience to understand why representation in products actually matters.”

In those moments, Smith-Kang finds herself advocating for more than just her product. “You’re not just pitching a piece of clothing,” she explained. “You’re trying to explain why it’s so important to have things that reflect your cultural reality. Why books, toys, clothes, and visuals that look like us make a difference.”

The burden to prove her value can feel heavy. “I’ve had to walk into rooms and explain the market. Share population statistics. List out brands that look like mine, just to show that this works if given the opportunity.”

She often feels the need to go far beyond what others might be asked to do. “You realize how much harder you have to fight for visibility and representation in spaces that weren’t built with you in mind.”

And sometimes, she said, the disconnect is simply about lived experience. “If you’ve never had to worry about your identity being validated, it’s hard to understand why this is so important. But that’s the message I keep showing up with.”

What do you feel is an entrepreneur’s most essential skill or quality to be successful in business?

Sonia believes it comes down to a few key qualities: resilience, relentlessness, and leadership without ego.

“In this journey, I’ve learned what kind of leader I want to be,” she said. “I try not to lead with ego. That’s helped me a lot as an entrepreneur, because you really have to rely on the team around you.”

For Smith-Kang, success isn’t about doing everything yourself. It’s about trusting the people you bring in and giving them space to shine. “Let their expertise help drive what you’re building,” she said. “Delegate, ask for help, and bring in people who align with your mission and values.”

She emphasized that entrepreneurs who thrive know how to hold both the vision and the task.

“Assembling a strong team is part of being a strong leader,” Sonia said. “You don’t have to do it all, but you do have to stay anchored in the why.”

How do you define success?

Success, for Sonia, isn’t just about revenue or retail deals. It’s also about resonance.

“Of course, financial success matters. We all want to see that reflected in the numbers,” she said. “But for me, it’s also moments like this. When someone actually wants to hear your story, that feels like success too.”

Smith-Kang finds meaning in emotional validation as much as external milestones. “It could be a parent reaching out and saying, ‘We get it. We see what you’re doing and why.’ When someone sees the cultural details in one of my designs and feels seen themselves, that kind of connection means everything to me.”

That sense of alignment between purpose and impact is what motivates her most. “When people feel represented, when families feel like their stories are reflected in the brand—that’s a huge win.”

Still, she acknowledges the importance of visibility in traditional spaces too. “And then there’s the moment someone says, ‘Wait, you’re in Macy’s?’” she added, smiling. “That’s part of it too. It’s powerful when emotional success and financial success start to meet in the middle.”

Looking ahead three years, what would you consider a successful outcome for your business? 

Sonia has a clear vision for what the next chapter could look like, and she’s already dreaming in partnerships.

“I picture collaborations,” she said. “Think Vans sneakers with my designs, or a Barbie from Mattel dressed in fabric from our collection.”

What excites her most is the idea of alignment with major brands that amplify the mission instead of diluting it. “I want to partner with companies that believe in the power of diverse creators. Not brands that take the ideas, but ones that say, ‘Let’s put you on. Let’s share your story together.’”

For Smith-Kang, success would mean that Mixed Up Clothing becomes more than a boutique label. “I want it to be a household name. I want to be in everyday conversations, on retail shelves, and part of partnerships that normalize multicultural representation.”

And at the heart of it all is the power to keep dreaming big. “That’s where my hopes are leading me,” she said. “The power to dream is still there.”

What do you envision for the future of Black and Brown women entrepreneurs and small business owners? 

Sonia is hopeful, and deeply rooted in the belief that collective power will shape what’s next.

“We’re living in a really challenging time, and a lot of it still feels new and uncertain,” she said. “But my hope is that we come together and start building what we’ve always deserved.”

Rather than waiting for legacy systems to change, Smith-Kang believes in creating something entirely new. “It’s that ‘for us, by us’ mentality. We need to build the communities we want to see. That might mean owning our own banks, creating our own venture networks, developing our own marketplaces and large-scale retailers.”

She’s not interested in fighting for scraps from outdated systems. “I think we need to leave those behind and focus on building our own,” she said. “The change starts with us.”

Sonia sees organizations like Black Girl Ventures as central to that shift. “Programs like BGV are listening to us, investing in us, and helping us shape what comes next. That’s what I’m most excited about, what we’re going to build because of this moment.”

Despite the uncertainty, her outlook remains bold and forward-thinking. “It feels like history is repeating itself in a powerful way,” she said. “Our hand was forced, and now we get to move in a new direction. I’m hopeful for what’s coming.”

Running a business as an entrepreneur is demanding. How do you prioritize self-care and maintain work-life balance?

Sonia keeps it real when it comes to self-care. It’s less about rigid routines and more about finding what works for her rhythm and her life.

“Even right after this interview, I’m going on my walk,” she said. “For me, it’s about creating space in my day to move, reconnect, and breathe.”

She’s learned that structure doesn’t have to mean strict schedules. “I’m not someone who wakes up every day at 6 a.m. to meditate. That’s just not me,” Sonia admitted. “Instead, I look at my schedule and figure out where I can fit in what I need. Today I’ll walk at this time. Then I’ll get work done. Then I have my kids’ stuff.”

As a mother of four, flexibility is key. “I check boxes, but I don’t get attached to when I check them,” she said. “And I’m honest with my kids too. I’ll be at your game, but I might have a headset on listening to a Zoom call.”

Smith-Kang emphasizes the importance of working with who you are instead of forcing yourself into someone else’s routine. “For me, it’s about bringing my full self into my life and not trying to fight it,” she said.

Her biggest takeaway? Let go of what it’s “supposed” to look like. “I don’t have any hard-set routines. I adjust as needed. And I think the faster someone can figure out what actually works for them, the quicker they’ll feel that sense of relief.”

What is a must-have tool or app that you can't live without for your business?

Sonia didn’t hesitate.

“Is it bad to say ChatGPT?” she laughed. “Because honestly, that’s exactly what I just used to finish writing a social media post.”

It’s become one of her go-to tools. “It’s been so helpful, for everything from creating SOPs to drafting marketing content to doing quick research,” she said. “It saves me time and helps me stay focused on what matters most.”

For Sonia, it’s about using tools that help streamline the work so she can spend more energy on vision and connection. 

What is one food you have a hard time saying no to?

French fries.

So what’s next for Mixed Up Clothing?

Big things are on the horizon, and Sonia is keeping the momentum going.

“We’ll be in a large department store for Black History Month,” she shared. “I can’t say who just yet, but we’re part of their celebration, and I’m really excited about it.”

Mixed Up Clothing is also expanding into new territory through media partnerships. “We have an opportunity to work with a major entertainment company on apparel for children,” she said.

“It’s tied to an upcoming movie release, using their IP, and we’re thrilled to be part of that.”

These collaborations mark a new chapter of visibility and growth. “There’s a lot coming, and I can’t wait to share more soon,” Smith-Kang said.

Any last words…

Sonia feels the conversation has covered just about everything, but she circles back to one core value that continues to guide her: community.

“For me, finding community has been one of the most helpful parts of this journey,” she said. “And that ties into self-care too. I may not always go for a walk or hike to recharge, but surrounding myself with people who understand what I’m going through has made all the difference.”

She believes that connection doesn’t have to come from people in the same industry.

“Sometimes it’s just about being around folks who look like you and share the same challenges,” she said. “People who nod when you’re talking, who say, ‘Have you tried this?’ or ‘You should talk to so-and-so.’ That kind of support is huge.”

Smith-Kang emphasized that self-care doesn’t always look like solitude. Sometimes, it looks like solidarity. “Being able to share experiences, trade ideas, and feel understood, that’s what keeps me going.”

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