“Overnight success takes ten years,” designer Nia Thomas candidly tells Essence GU over. The 29-year-old, who’s the face and creative mastermind behind her eponymous luxury knitwear label, is getting her well-deserved flowers with a host of monumental moments under her belt. In just five years of the company’s existence, Thomas has landed features in major outlets like Vogue, showcased during New York Fashion Week, and earned her stripes as a Bella Hadid-approved brand. Her latest win? A partnership with one of America’s most iconic eateries, McDonald’s.
The collaboration comes just as diversity in fashion has reached a troubling stagnancy since the 2020 racial reckonings. Brands are no longer releasing statements in solidarity with the Black community, campaigns that regularly celebrate our culture are becoming less consistent, and grants are becoming harder for Black-owned brands to attain. Organizations like the 15 Percent Pledge have triumphed in holding major retailers accountable for more inclusion, yet representation stands at only 7.3 percent. Fortunately, McDonald’s is one of the companies actually making strides on the journey to true inclusivity, beyond the social media trend.
The longstanding food chain’s Black & Positively Golden Change of Fashion program aims to uplift emerging Black designers through exclusive industry-backed mentorship and $200,000 in total grants to help their businesses reach its maximum potential. This year’s Golden Change Leaders include Shareef Mosby, Durell Dupard, Larissa Muehleder, Heart Roberts, and Thomas, who will all embark on a year-long mentorship and develop their own capsule collections. A program where everyone is “Black, bold, and beautiful,” as she describes.
Thomas, who’s paired with former Saks Fifth Avenue executive Shawn Howell, doesn’t take the opportunity lightly. “It was honestly one of the best things that’s ever happened to me,” she says. “I grew up in New York, and my parents would take us to get happy meals, and we’d play in the jungle gym set that was outside; just to think if only that little girl knew that 20 years later, she would have this opportunity is absolutely incredible.” With these memories and a Bachelor’s degree in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, it’s no surprise that Thomas would be hand-selected for the distinguished program.
The Long Island-bred designer had fashion nearly etched in her DNA long before she launched Nia Thomas a year after graduating. She often worked at her Aunt Elaine’s alteration shop during her fashion design studies as a high school freshman, making her current reality as a designer inevitable. Countless days spent in her aunt’s shop is where Thomas learned to sew and rework pieces she purchased to align with her thirst for high-quality clothing and cultivate her steadfast commitment to sustainability. “I’d been an avid thrifter and all of my friends wanted to go to the mall where many brands were usually fast fashion,” she recalls. “I found that the quality of what I found at the thrift store was much better and more aligned with my aesthetics. I’m sure the sewing was horrible, but it just goes back to my slow and steady practice; that’s how you build something over time.”
Thomas’s “slow and steady” ethos has stayed with her since those formative years, now running her business out of Mexico City. In line with her mission of crafting ethical pieces that screamed “a little bit more fantasy and excitement,” the brand has become respected for its masterful approach to resort wear and its innovative use of crochet, even working with artisans in Peru. Soon, she’s hoping to expand into other categories like menswear and baby, with her DMs already being flooded with requests for children’s clothing after her friends would post the special pieces she created for their newborns.
With these endeavors, Thomas is in no rush. She’s focused on solidifying her foundation and embracing every new experience as the brand grows in its own lane, at its own pace. “It’s better to grow things sustainably in a way that my soul can keep up with rather than trying to race to the top, stay on the top, and always outdo myself,” she says. “Slow and steady definitely wins the race.” Between her integrity, distinct talent, and McDonald’s as a battery in her back, there’s no doubt she’ll continue winning.