Article Text

At 11, Alexandria resident Sophia Williams is already helping shape a family clothing brand built around kindness, individuality and inclusion.

Sophia and her mother, psychologist and life coach Nikki Mills, own Lovership Apparel. Sophia leads its children’s department, drawing inspiration from sketches she creates on her iPad and in journals.

Her influence brought brighter colors to the company’s children’s hoodies and T-shirts, including azalea, orange, sand and sapphire. She also inspired kid-focused designs meant to encourage positivity.

“A lot of people in the world need kindness,” Sophia said. “We spread love to everyone who needs it.”

Mills launched the business in 2003 to promote peace and love. She said mental health struggles within her family motivated her to place affirming messages on clothing.

Among the brand’s popular designs is “Beyoutofull,” paired with the phrase “Be You to the Fullest.” Mills said the message is about being yourself, and the design sells across nearly every available color without a clear favorite.

Sophia said the company also plans to release a breast cancer shirt for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Mother and daughter approach creativity differently. Sophia draws whatever enters her mind, sometimes filling her screen with increasingly large spirals. She describes the idea as “larger spirals, larger thoughts.”

Mills often records ideas that arrive during the night, then returns later to explore them. The two keep journals and watch for issues that might inspire new messages.

The company has also developed a Peace Department featuring designs centered on diversity, unity and love, including rainbow shirts.

Sophia has been drawing since she was able to hold crayons. Mills recalled that her daughter’s earliest canvases sometimes included the walls of their home.

Her creative work fits around virtual school. Sophia has attended Virginia Virtual Academy for three years, a change her family made after health problems complicated her experience in a traditional classroom. Mills said Sophia nearly died after contracting pneumonia from a classmate and was highly susceptible to illnesses.

Now Sophia completes assignments from home and attends live online classes with other students. Her mother said the arrangement still allows her to socialize while offering greater flexibility, less stress and a better balance throughout the day.