Kiya Tomlin marking her mark in Pittsburgh fashion
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Kiya Tomlin's made-in-Pittsburgh fashion line is working on its spring and summer collections.
On the sewing floor, fashion and football make a stylish combination.
"We do have our fabric dyed to that color. It must be exact. And so that's really what makes our brand unique," Tomlin said.
Last year, the 2023 NFL collection launched. Now, the Color Block 2024 NFL collection is in the works.
"We didn't have the 49ers last year and the reason was because they use a specific red and there are four teams that use that red," Tomlin said. "So, all those four teams will be done this year and that's how we decide what teams would come when."
The pieces are elegant, fashionable and comfortable, made to make the person who wears them feel powerful. That is the common thread in Tomlin's work.
Her love for fashion and point of view is inspired by an experience she had at 8 years old when she met Diana Ross.
In 2014, Tomlin launched her fashion brand using out-of-town suppliers. In 2016, she started producing pieces in Pittsburgh.
"It has always been a pipe dream to have my own factory and make everything kind of right under my own nose," she said.
The upcoming NFL and spring and summer collections are all made in Pittsburgh. For Tomlin, the wife of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, the goal is to expand and produce all the other collections right here at home.
"The idea is to get bigger. Ideally, I'd like to get to the place where we can take on other people's projects. We're not there yet, but I do see that down the line and definitely to hire more people," she said.