First of all, what is the concept of the brand? SommaBaby Clothing Company was created to express pride in multiracial identity. From a social standpoint, our brand fill the gap for multiracial individuals who really want that piece of clothing that reflects their racial diversities. So many of us fall into that “gray” area, or “blur” the racial lines, so some other graphic tees might not accurately represent our clientele, racially or ethnically—SommaBaby fills that gap. In other words, a girl who is half Italian and half African-American might not want to wear one of the “Jersey Shore-type” tees that have “Italian” slogans because it seemingly omits her African-American side. And that goes for so many racial “mixes” nowadays. SommaBaby was designed to help eliviate that feeling of omission. From a political standpoint, the brand challenges society to accurately categorize people, racially, and not just shove them into a box based on physical appearance. It definitely challenges the effects & misrepresentations that the “one-drop rule” left in our society. Properly categorizing individuals, racially, is far more important than most people realize. For medical reasons, for geneology reasons, demographic reasons, giving society four boxes to choose from on government forms just doesn’t work anymore. So, yes, there is a Cause behind our brand. Overall, we just want to make the world a better place and keep that sense of pride alive in everyone.
styling the models, some are just monster promoters on social networks. When we meet, there’s a whole room of girls who “get” one another on this multiracial stuff! Everyone thinks being multiracial is so easy, but in truth, it can be harder—even now. Some people struggle throughout adolescence trying to fit in somewhere, without ever really fitting in their social circles. But, when all of my girls get together, you can feel the unity in the air. From hair issues, to skin, to body shapes…we all get one another! And for that hour, I know everyone feels like they “fit in.” So, my motivation is knowing that, from our platform, we can create this same sense of unity & pride in millions! THAT is powerful. Believing that we could have a hand in creating
I noticed that the union of races is your main goal, do you believe that this could help to racism problems? You know, I never really understood racism. I still don’t understand true racism. Honestly, I think a lot of people aren’t necessarily racists, they just fail to understand one another and group themselves around people who make them comfortable, which are usually people of the same race or upbringings. I think people get complacent in their immediate box and never explore the lives of others. Then, they form their opinions of others based on stereotypes, rhetoric, & statistics. Now, as far as true racism…I’ll never understand hating a person based on skin pigment or culture. Being born and raised in the South, you better believe I’ve had my experiences. But racism is worldwide. That true racism that fueled slavery in many countries, the Holocaust, and so many other persecutions all over the world…I’ll never under stand that. But, I believe in humanity. I believe in God. So, for that reason, I will always have faith that there is hope for racism too. Maybe not in my lifetime, and maybe not. I don’t think SommaBaby t-shirts will help people who are true racists. That is a disease of the heart and mind. But, I do believe that we contribute to helping empower som of the individuals who might be targets of racism. In life, you’re not defined by what you’re called, but yet, to what you answer. So, I’d like to think that SommaBaby Clothing Company helps our clientele to challenge society to accurately represent them. And that’s one step closer to them growing that “thick skin” & learning to demand respect and fairness in every aspect of life. I’d like to think we help prepare our generation for future fights… whether the fight is racism or any other “ism” in our society.
THINK BIG! AIM BIG! SURROUND YOURSELVES WITH PEOPLE WHO DREAM BIGGER AND AIM HIGHER THAN YOU.
What keeps you motivated to keep it up? Oh, that’s easy! The potential in the platform! The possibility of creating this massive platform from which we can inspire the world….help the world…. and speak to millions of young people who might really need to hear our voices knocks me off my feet. You see, everybody likes to fit in somewhere. We’re human. And our target market it that age group who’s usually trying to figure it all out. Team SommaBaby is a group of 25 multiracial girls that I have the unbelievable honor of leading back home. Some model the clothing, some help with
strong women who are firm on who they are and what they want is priceless. What inspired the name or who was responsible for it? When I was in elementary school, I remember being the only girl, other than my sisters, who looked like me. So, it drew a lot of attention and led to me having to answer a lot of questions about my race. That was so frustrating for me. I’m not a shy person, but being a “misfit” kind of shoved me into a shell at school because I struggled with finding my perfect clique. So, to counter the awkwardness of having to explain my “mix” to everyone who asked, I’d make it humorous. When questions arose, I would say, “I’m a SommaBaby—I’m somma this & somma that!” That way, I didn’t have to break anything down to anyone nor explain why I didn’t look a lot like my mother. It lightened the atmosphere and helped me dodge the questions! When I began researching prior to naming my company, I realize how typical my experience was for most mixed-race people. So, I decided to name the company, SommaBaby, to remind myself that there’s a smile that follows every struggle.
How you pick the models? I try to select models who best represent our brand. Again, we challenge the notion of just looking at a person and checking a box based on physical appearance. After all, can you really just look our President and know he is half white? Can you look at an actress like
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