Kiya Tomlin
© Cerner Photography
Kiya Tomlin says that as a child she wanted to be a doctor. Thanks to touching responses and encouragement from adults, this has become a common aspiration for many children. Furthermore, the example of her financially independent mother influenced her desire for stability and a clear career path. But alongside this realistic goal, Kiya had a passion for sewing, designing and fashion. As a child, she played with designing and clothes. She even took a sewing machine to university. “I was always sewing and designing. I loved it. It was a form of self-care.”
Take the road less traveled during your travels
When it came time to take the MCAT, the Medical College Admissions Test, Tomlin didn’t go to a testing center. After some thought, she decided to pursue a career in fashion. Her first foray was a short-term tailoring apprenticeship. While traveling with her husband, a football coach, she took fashion courses to hone her skills and find her path. Eventually, her determination led her to launch a custom design business that initially focused on wedding dresses, which she grew to work with all kinds of clients. In 2014, she founded the Kiya Tomlin fashion brand, offering clothes that are practical, versatile and stylish. Her line has been and continues to be popular, regardless of size. This is important to Tomlin, who wants to celebrate all women with her designs.
Building a sustainable American-made brand
Another of Tomlin’s personal and business values is her commitment to sustainability. She holds NFL licenses and creates a line of fashionable “game day” pieces, but it’s not fast fashion. Kiya recognized the urgent need to address issues such as fabric waste and overproduction in the fashion industry. To make a positive impact, she is working to set up a vertically integrated factory, allowing her to produce new collections on a smaller scale. This approach not only ensures greater control over the production process, but also minimizes waste and creates a more sustainable model.
Her line is proudly made in the USA, values quality craftsmanship and supports local communities: from fabrics to production, sustainability, opportunity and a commitment to community are woven into the brand.
Commitment to service as a business practice
This emphasis on people and community surfaced early in the business’ history. In 2015, just a year after Kiya Tomlin created her first full line, Hurricane Harvey struck and devastated the Houston area. The line never launched as she hoped, and the excess inventory sat dormant for new uses. “It had been sitting in my work space for quite a while. The season ended, and I had all this stuff. And then I saw the hurricane, and I saw what happened, and what was going on out there, and I thought, maybe they need something too.” Tomlin tells the story of how she reached out to the wife of the Houston Texans’ head coach. She then rallied other wives and got in touch with a school in one of the hardest hit areas of Houston. They made sure that storm survivors had a chance to feel the normalcy and dignity that comes from feeling good in their own clothes.
This isn’t the first time Tomlin has helped communities in need: During the pandemic, she and her team have sewn masks to help those in need, and upcycled fabric scraps to create dolls, neck rolls, and other items to bring comfort to hospice patients and children with disabilities.
As a successful entrepreneur, Kiya values education and transparency. By educating her customers about sustainability and sharing her own business practices, she hopes to encourage informed choices. In a world where fast fashion has taken over the industry, Kiya Tomlin stands out as a pioneer of sustainability, creativity and integrity, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps and make a difference in the fashion world and beyond.
