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April 2023
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Nia Thomas Sustainable Fashion Designer
Nia Thomas (born in Brooklyn, NY) is an up and coming independent sustainable fashion designer living and working in New York City. She founded the ethical fashion label NIA THOMAS in 2018 “as a love letter to Earth” (Thomas). She is known for her sustainable textile production, implementation of zero waste alternatives into the fashion industry, and she defines herself as being “anti-fashion industry.”

Early Life & Education

Nia was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. In 2017 she graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) with a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design. One year later she started her clothing line where she produces one-of-a-kind garments and jewelry pierces. Her garments and accessories are inspired by her nomadic lifestyle.

Work

NIA THOMAS basics are locally made in New York City’s garment district by a small female-led garment factory that focuses on domestic manufacturing, creating a small carbon footprint, and insurance of fair employee treatment. Her knitwear is ethically produced in Peru and Mexico by well trained female artisans. Nia’s label utilizes high quality natural fiber fabrics that are biodegradable in nature. Additionally, she uses plant-based dyes to revamp the recycled deadstock fabrics that she uses for her label. These are much healthier alternatives to synthetic dyes that have harmful chemicals. The plants she currently uses for these dyes are: Indigo, Cochineal, Wild Marigolds, Brazil Wood, Pomegranate Skins and Walnut Husks. Nia has stated that she has never and will never use the fur of an animal that has been killed for its fiber. The only animal fibers she is currently using are Merino Wool, Baby Alpaca, Silk and Cashmere. She works hands on with her suppliers to ensure that she knows exactly where these fibers are coming from.

Collections

Nia dropped a clothing line entitled “Ho’oponopono.” This collection consists of timeless silhouettes and garments that are all hand-knitted by Nia as well as three other female artisans who Nia met while she was studying at FIT. Nia States that she wants people to know the amount of trial, error, and attention to detail that goes into the knitwork. It can be extremely complex to construct with some pieces taking over 20 hours to create. The inspiration for this collection came from a t-shirt a local friend was wearing during her time in Hawaii. The t-shirt had the saying “Ho’oponopono” on it and her friend translated it to mean “to correct a mistake” or “make it right.” The literal English translation for this phrase is “I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.” The Hawaiian practice or reconciliation had greatly inspired Nia and motivated her to create this collection as it was an attestment to Nia’s personal and professional growth. Nia notes that she is always incredibly careful not to appropriate any cultures that she is intrigued by and that the laid back vibe and energy made her want to create clothes that were both comfortable and visually stunning. Additionally, her time in Hawaii further instilled in her gratitude for Mother Nature and her devotion to protecting her.

Accomplishments

Nia Thomas has been written about in multiple magazines and blogs including Vogue, Metal Magazine, Essence Magazine, Fashionista, Forbes, Sustainable Earth, Melanin, Sustainable Style, Cosmopolitan, WWD, The Eco Hub, NBC News, Instyle, WWD, White Wall, Fast Company, NYLON, ENVSN, Man Repeller, Wear I Live, New York Magazine the Strategist, and Teen Vogue. These works attest to Nia’s passion and devotion to slow fashion and revolutionizing the fashion industry with sustainable ethics.

References

Metal Magazine https://metalmagazine.eu/en/post/interview/nia-thomas

Sustainable Earth https://sustainable-earth.org/5-sustainable-fashion-designers/

Melanin & Sustainable Style https://melaninass.com/blog/2020/2/25/nia-thomas-is-a-black-owned-sustainable-fashion-brand-that-merges-culture-art-luxe-ethical-eclecticism-amp-the-beauty-of-gender-fluidity

Essence Magazine https://www.essence.com/fashion/designer-spotlight-nia-thomas-stands-for-love-in-its-highest-form/

New Classics https://newclassics.ca/blogs/journal/q-a-nia-thomas

Nia Thomas Ethics https://niathomas.co/pages/our-ethics Madisonreddy (talk) 20:37, 17 May 2023 (UTC)