We recently connected with Sophia Kunju Herrera and have shared our conversation below.
Sophia, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Everyone has a purpose in life. I found my purpose through something I went through when I was two years old. In 1999, my family and I were in a car accident that changed our lives forever, I was left paralyzed from the waist down which caused me to be using a wheelchair to get around anywhere. All I knew pretty much my whole life was life in the wheelchair. Growing up with a disability definitely did have its ups and a lot of downs. I often questioned why me, why did this happened to me and not anyone else. There’s always been misconceptions of people in wheelchairs in the world one of them being the inability to be independent and always relying on someone else. I had to face that misconception up to this point in my life. My mom my biggest rock has always taught me how to do things by myself without needing anyone’s help, that anything is possible if I put hard work into it. Sure I might be in a wheelchair but that shouldn’t stop me from doing anything or chasing my dreams. And surely it didn’t, I went on and graduated high school, to even moving all the way to the other side of the world to complete my bachelors and masters and sharing my story with friends, and even total strangers. That is how I believe I found my purpose is by inspiring others. Many people have told me that they found me inspiring through working hard despite any adversity that I may face and how I have the bravery to live the life I want and live fearlessly. As well as challenging social norms and inspiring everyone wherever I go.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’ve been working on developing my brand Sophia Isabel. Sophia Isabel is a ready-to-wear fashion brand that was founded in 2019 by me. The brand specializes in ready-to-wear clothing that is for all. The brand was started back in 2019 as a custom design brand in Atlanta, Georgia. Initially, the brand designed and produced custom designs for clients that requested unique pieces for special events. Ever since the accident I have lived in constant frustration in finding clothes that were not only easy to put on but also to feel fashionable in them and comfortable. Prior to graduating with my Bachelor’s in Fashion Design at Savannah College of Art and Design, I designed a collection that was adaptable with inner mechanisms such as loops sewed in on the inside at different sections of the clothing piece for easy pull on to the body to an adaptable zipper that is easy to pull.
Sophia Isabel aims to offer ready-to-wear adaptive clothing that can be easily put on, comfortable and stylish for all. The aims of the brand are to treat each piece of clothing like its own masterpiece and to carefully and strategically place adaptive materials where it’s easy to be used by everyone.
Along the way of creating this brand I received a lot of criticisms and discrimination against my ideas/designs to launch a brand like this. This made me at that time wanting to give up and not even continue to design anymore. However the support system that I had saw the potential in me and believed that I can succeed with these designs and that I will be able to inspire a lot of people. It made me realize that I have a voice and it should be heard and I should always stand up for what I believe in.
I am currently working on a collection that will be presented at New York Fashion Week either on September 2023 or September 2024. So stay tuned.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities or skills I believe that were the most impactful on my journey were; positive attitude, hard worker, quick learner and to just throw a fourth one in there haha I would say and perseverance. The biggest advice I would give to people on how to best improve on these is to probably believe and have faith in yourself. Knowing that you can do anything despite how impossible it may seem or can be there’s always a way to make your dreams come true, through hard work and a positive attitude.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
This is a tough question to answer because I have a list of people haha. But I’ll give my top three. One my family, from my parents all the way to my cousins. They all have truly been my supporters from day one and will continue to be my number one supporters. Second, my friends and my professors, all of them helped me accomplish my vision in developing my brand despite any criticisms I may have received from others. Lastly I would definitely say my coworkers at my current job, the work culture has been one of the best I’ve ever been in, they truly care for my professional development in the company and want to see me succeed in everything I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sophiaisabel.design/
- Instagram: @sophiaisabel.designs
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sophiaisabel
- Other: Another Instagram: @thesophiaherrera
Image Credits
Honeylou.photography Jaylon Smith Tuc Fashion Week
