September 16th was Mexico’s Independence Day, which celebrates Mexico’s declaration of independence from Spain in 1810. To celebrate Mexican pride as part of Hispanic Heritage Month, here are a few Mexican Latina entrepreneurs to support this month and beyond!
Celebrate Mexican pride by supporting these Mexican Latina entrepreneurs
Sonia Smith-Kang is a multiracial female founder based in Los Angeles, California. Born in Puerto Rico to an African American father and Mexican mother, Sonia understands the ins and outs of multiracial life. She founded Mixed Up Clothing to bring cultural diversity to children’s clothing.
“In dressing my children, I noticed fashion didn’t reflect a rich, multicultural reality that I wanted to see in the world,” said Sonia. “I want children to see themselves in fashion, on the runway and in print. Everything we do comes from a place of celebration and showcasing heritage and culture.”
Sonia uses fashion as her vehicle to tell multicultural stories. Mixed Up Clothing sources fabrics and trims from all over the world, mixes and matches them, and then sews them into fun, everyday pieces that children are proud to wear.
Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda is a business development coach, strategist, nonprofit founder and author of Jefa in Training—the first business-launching book for Latinas.
Originally from Queens, NYC, and born to a Mexican mom and French-American father, Ashley’s career started in the music industry in 2012, working at major record labels, publishers, and venues. After relocating to Portland, OR, post-college, she created her own network for local womxn songwriters, now a national organization that has been featured in The Recording Academy, called #WomxnCrush Music.
Since the rapid growth of her organization, she has dedicated her career to creating opportunities and developing businesses and communities of underrepresented entrepreneurs through her coaching and consulting, and has become known as the Business Hada Madrina (Business Fairygodmother).
“I’m eager for Jefa in Training to get into the hands of as many aspiring business owners as possible because that is how we will create change in the world. Representation in any kind of industry is important and the more of us that take that first step into pursuing entrepreneurship, the more we can build wealth, create safe spaces and provide opportunities for each other,” says Ashley.
Maya Jacquez and her family are the founder of The Pinole Project, a Mexican-American Food Company that pays homage to their abuela, Adela Jacquez, and her recipes.
Founded in January 2020, The Pinole Project took just over 1 year to go from product idea to being available online and nationwide. The project grew from the family’s overwhelming passion to share their abuela’s recipe with the world.
Growing up, Maya would visit her grandparents’ humble ranch in Mexico where her grandmother made the family her Pinole Chia Oatmeal. This recipe inspired the company’s first product, inviting the world to their family table to share their heritage, culture, and history with others.
“Our family finds so much strength in being able to share our heritage and culture with the world. The Pinole Project’s mission is to build bridges by sharing Mexican food, history, and culture. We grow when we invite new friends to our table. We believe when we educate the world about Mexico, that we are creating meaningful bonds.”
Adriana Pavon is a Mexican Latina entrepreneur and designer who founded Mexico Culture & Pride (Mexico Cultura y Orgullo), an initiative inspired by traditional Mexican textiles and fashion accessories designs that employs artisans and crafters from indigenous cultures around the country.
Born into a family of garment workers in Mexico City, she grew up in Los Angeles, CA. From a young age she always played around with fabrics and tried to make fancy garments and this grew into a passion for garments and textiles, leading her to a career in fashion.
On a trip to Mexico her eyes opened to an even bigger adventure in life. She had always been captivated with the local Mexican design industry run by indigenous artisans who used natural fabrics to create intricate and vibrant designs.
But she also observed that the older textile traditions in Mexico were rapidly dying, mainly due to the globalization of textiles and the use of synthetic materials. Adriana felt passionate about these injustices and wanted to help locals become innovative and yet receive credit and money for their work, and so the Mexico Culture & Pride initiative was born.
Today, Adriana is admired as a leader among the local artisans who revere her work ethic and consider her a role model as a female entrepreneur.
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