Greetings, Hip Hapa Homeez.
For those of you who are in constant contact, you know how much
we—our Watermelon Sushi movement team—appreciate your support. Honestly, we
couldn’t do it without you. If you've ever purchased a Hapa*Teez t-shirt, please send us a photo so we can feature you in our next YouTube video. Or, if
you’re the shy type, just drop us a line at hapateez@comcast.net so we can personally thank you. As you may know, every supporter
earns a rear crawl credit. Here's our current YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBIMaJUljjI
 |
| Kris Packer |
Speaking of t-shirts, there’s been more than a few out there that
proclaim pride in being multiracial. But some, like SommaBaby, are really special. This month we’re featuring Kris
Packer, Founder and Director of SommaBaby Clothing Company, and her line of
t-shirts.
Q: Kris, who are your parents and how did they meet?
A: My mother is of both African-American and Native American
descent. My father is Mulatto (a person of mixed white and black ethnicity).
Q: How did you grow up?
A: I
had a very interesting experience, growing up. I did not grow up in a mixed-race neighborhood at all. I’ve said many times in many interviews, that my
upbringing was very normal until I was old enough for people to feel
comfortable questioning me about my racial background. I mean, coming from a
multiracial family, a lot of the women in my family looked like me. All of my
siblings looked like me. I have multiracial cousins as well, so I experienced
early emergence into the multiracial community. I was fortunate enough to grow
up in a very heterogeneous environment at home. Unfortunately, school and my
community was a different story. That is where I experienced my discomfort.
School, particularly, is where I had to answer the most racial questions and
fight my racial battles. School was where I had to choose one race and choose
one crowd to fit in with. School is where I had to do all of my explaining.
Q: How
did you come up with the idea and the name for Somma Baby?
 |
| Team SommaBaby |
A: SommaBaby
is the manifestation of YEARS of me looking for that perfect t-shirt that said what I wanted a tee to say. I NEVER sat down and said, "Let me design a clothing line”! I’m extremely
visual. I know exactly what I want in clothing because I “see” it in my mind before I even begin shopping. I always “saw” these tees. I was
just never able to find them in the stores! After years of waiting on other designers to create my perfect tee, I finally just took the reins and did it myself. But, I soon realized that I did it more
for the multiracial community than myself. I saw how the world was changing its feelings towards the multiracial community and I
wanted to support that change. I thought these tees would be good “conversation starters”. I thought they would help build
confidence in our youth. I truly saw their potential to promote unity in our society, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of something so big.
The name, SommaBaby, is what we call a person who is “some of this race and some of that race”. It’s actually the term I used to use
for myself when people would ask me that million-dollar question that
most mixed-race people know too well, “What are you?” It was my way of
diverting the awkward inquisition into light humor to avoid having
to explain my racial background to everyone who asked me. Times have changed so much now. Now, the questions don’t bother me at all. I used this term as the name for my brand as a way of paying homage
to my past experiences. After all, those experiences are what shaped
me into the person who was able to see the tees and create them.
Q: Your
line of t-shirts is more than about clothing; you have teams of young
mixed-race women promoting them. Talk a little about your team concept. And is
Rain Pryor, Richard Pryor's mixed-race daughter, a part of your team?
 |
| more of Team SommaBaby |
A: I realized, early, that this clothing line was bigger than
me. As I said earlier, after sketching the first design, I realized that I
had to do this for the multiracial community more than for
myself. After our very first photo shoot, it became clear to me that our mission
to truly unite the multiracial community and greatly impact society
would begin in my target market. I saw strength in the youth early in
the process and I didn’t want to lose that strength and authenticity.
So, we formed a group, called Team SommaBaby. Most of these girls are
the original girls who modeled our clothing. However, over time,
others have joined the group just to support the cause. Some model and others find their perfect place within the group. They help
promote the brand through social networks, word of mouth, public
appearances, marketing campaigns, etc. THEY are the brand. Through them, I am able to see how SommaBaby Clothing Co. will make an impact on the world. In my eyes, these twenty-five girls represent twenty-five million girls just like them all over the world.
 |
| Rain Pryor, on left |
People who follow us on Twitter and Facebook ask me a lot about
Rain Pryor’s involvement with SommaBaby. She is a beautiful spirit and
a hilarious lady! We
love her because she supported us the moment she heard about us. She has been a huge blessing to the company and we will always consider her to be part of our team. In our
conversations regarding the multiracial movement, she once told me, “it takes a
village…”, and we are so thankful for all she has done to help us in our
growth.
Q: What about the men?
A: Before we began producing a single garment, we tested the
market with our samples to find our main buyer base. It was young girls and
women, mainly, who showed interest in the brand. So, we decided to target the
demographic that presented the highest demand. However, we are definitely
working on men’s designs for next year’s collections. Part of our mission was
to create a brand that supported our belief in non-exclusion in the multiracial
community. We want to stand on that same principle as it relates to gender. So,
our team is busy creating designs for the SommaBaby men as well.
 |
| and more of Team SommaBaby |
Q: How have your t shirts impacted the mixed race community in
terms of feedback and support?
A: SommaBaby tees are like walking billboards for the mixed-race
community. That’s what tees are
nowadays--an outward expression of who we are, what we think, and an outward
expression of our freedom of speech. So, they “speak” on behalf of each person
who wears one of our t-shirts. I knew this brand was special to me, but it
really became clear to me that it was special to the world when the e-mails began to come in. Girls all over the world tell us that we are “speaking their life stories” through our t-shirts. They pull
me aside and say, “This tee is exactly what I have said to people all
my life.” Some tell me that they had become so comfortable with just falling into a single “box” because it was easier to live in
society as just one race, until they found our brand. Can you imagine how
it feels to know that you are part of the reason why a person changes
how he or she views himself for the rest of his or her life? It’s
amazing. Our supporters say, “Please don’t stop.” They say, “Keep pushing
so
that life will be easier for my children or grandchildren.”
 |
| yet more of Team SommaBaby |
Q: Any future projects besides the t shirts?
A: Yes. I am in meetings as we speak, discussing our next moves for the upcoming quarter.
Right now, we are keeping our focus on the t-shirts but we definitely
have
plans to move into some other arenas in the future. We will also
be focusing on imparting some more into our community because we
always want to fulfill our mission to help nurture and edify the
community we serve.
Okay, Hip Hapa Homeez, here’s the 411 on
where to get your SommaBaby t-shirts. Just click the links:
wholesale orders, email: sommababyclothingco@gmail.com
Good news,
HHH! We recently passed the 1000th viewing of our War Brides of Japan video on YouTube. We thank you for sharing the link to our documentary project. Don't forget, we have a version two. You can also check out our Facebook page to stay updated. In fact, if you’re on Facebook,
you can check out Watermelon Sushi and Hapa*Teez, too. And, you can send a request for membership in our Hip Hapa Homeez group
where we share discussions about mixed-race, multiethnic, transracial adoptee,
interracial relationship, and culture-crossing communities. Here’s a list of all
our links.
Until next time, I will always be
Your Hip Hapa,
Yayoi
