Our Story
WELCOME TO KIDS SWAG!!
My name is Kim West. Founder, Mother, Wife, Speaker.
I am a mom of two beautiful girls - Kiera and Khloe. I am dedicated to ensuring their zest for life and love for self is continually reinforced.
MY STORY
On the day I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter I went to my favorite book store to start her book collection and was confronted with the lack of children’s books with black characters. I turned my search online and found amazing books and other accessories and toys. When I shared these finds on Facebook friends and family would always inquire where I got them - this planted the seed to create the store.
THE MEANING OF OUR NAME
KIDS SWAG is a play on words. We are a destination for swag (our products) to inspire swag (self-confidence).
We are devoted to becoming a premier one stop destination for premium children products inspired by black girls and boys from around the world.
WEARING OUR HEART ON OUR SLEEVES (LITTERALLY!)
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The heart icon is tied to our origin story. Within the heart is a little girl with arms raised happily. This represents the inspiration behind starting Kids Swag - my eldest daughter Kiera. I wanted to capture her natural sense of joy, bliss and confidence that she exuded when she was young. This is the type of confidence that I want all kids to hold onto. I want them to feel free to confidently be themselves and with open arms embrace others. Wearing our heart on your sleeve means sharing your true emotions, allowing yourself to be vulnerable and letting it all hang out. Learning to be yourself at a young age is so powerful for the success of our future generations. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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OUR PHILOSOPHY - Mindful Representation
Because of my girls I started on the journey of Mindful Representation - intentionally seeking products, images, and experiences to reinforce her sense of self. Through Kids Swag I now want to help other families adopt this philosophy into their lifestyle to help Raise Confident Kids that Appreciate Difference. ⠀⠀⠀
THE NEED
Did you realize that as early as 3 years old, kids are classifying people based on their appearances? (Source: The Atlantic) Want to know more about the importance of visuals from 0-7? Check out this Instagram post by The Conscious Kid
OUR WHY
Great action is taking place to improve diversity in books and dolls and there are a number of different vendors making it easier to find these great items. But what about everything else in your child's world?
You go grocery shopping, what image is on the cute plate and cup set your child wants?
You're want to encourage their creativity, what images are in their colouring books?
You're throwing a birthday party, what are your options?
The list can go on and on. It is an unnecessarily complicated task to source and purchase everyday lifestyle products for children that have black images. These companies exist but one must be internet savvy and social media literate to find them. KIDS SWAG was launched in December 2016 to make it easy for parents Raise Confident Kids that Appreciate Difference!
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
A simple premise - a confident child will lead to a confident adult that is unstoppable in their pursuit of excellence.
It hurts my heart when I talk with a parent that relays a story about their child not loving their unique personal beauty. They want to be like the images they see on television, online or in books and unfortunately those images are subtly stating that they do not measure up or worse, they don't belong.
I have been on a personal mission for my girls to enrich their world with images of all types of beauty. Especially images that relate to their culture and beautiful image.
This store is now a way to make it easier for parents to find what they need without scouring the internet. I've done the work for you. I've been doing it for the past nine years for my girls and now want to share what I found with you.
If you come across a product you feel should be featured/sold via, KIDS SWAG please reach out through the Contact Us page.