Nia Thomas
Clothing designer and brand founder
What first drew me to designer Nia Thomas is how masterfully she modernizes traditional techniques and organic materials. Collaborating with female artists in Mexico City and Lima, Nia ensures their generations-old skills aren’t lost in an era of mass production. Her collection blends time-honored traditions with ethical production, plant-based dyes, and the use of natural fibers — all while celebrating the female form and resisting conventional beauty standards. Her clothes are a playful wink combined with a kick-ass dose of empowerment.
The hand-knit dresses, sculptural crochet pieces, and fluid silhouettes in her collection are elevated with details like hand-hewn wooden buttons and mother of pearl, making each piece feel like a love letter to the free-spirited. Whether styled casually or dressed up, I can see myself throwing her styles on to explore a rugged cobblestone street in Nia’s beloved Mexico City neighborhood or relax on one of her favorite beaches.
Splitting her time between Mexico City and NYC, Nia brings a multicultural perspective to everything she designs. Read her interview to learn how Moroccan rug makers have influenced her creative approach, how she explores new places, and the makers she wishes more people knew about.
Q&A
As a born and bred New Yorker, how does living in Mexico City part-time color your design process?
I am so inspired here by the incredible women that I get to collaborate with and work with on creating our pieces. Their years of knowledge and expertise outmatch mine, and I’m constantly blown away by everything we are able to create.
I’m constantly drawing inspiration from the landscape of Mexico, whether it’s the ocean, the mountains, the jungle, or all of the vivid colors and textures that come along through that. Whether it’s the feeling of grains of sand underneath my feet or a beautiful tropical flower just starting to bloom right in front of me, I’m constantly documenting and taking photos to remember those feelings and sensations and incorporate them back into my work.
What place has changed the way you think about fashion, design, or art and why?
The first time I went to Morocco, I was really blown away by the attention to detail in the artisan-crafted goods I found in the markets. I remember visiting the shop of rug manufacturer AfrriCan and he was explaining that they will purposely make a mistake in each of their rugs, whether it’s changing one color of one petal in a flower or one line out of thousands in the rug that the normal eye wouldn’t be able to catch. They do so because they say that only Allah is perfect and they are not meant to make perfect things. That really informed my thought process of what makes the perfect piece of art and how the beauty is truly all in the details.
What are the most inspiring places you have traveled to, for work or vacation?
For work and for life, I was living in Kauai, Hawaii for five months in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 and it was my first time living somewhere where I felt like the possibilities of life were endless. Everywhere I looked there was an incredible giant rainbow in front of me or the most beautiful waterfall that I had to spend six hours hiking to get to.
Being in tune with nature really informed what I wanted my business to look like. I wanted it to feel very organic and to flow in a way that my creative process and my soul could keep up with.
Also, having a pop-up in Paris during fashion week felt like such a huge accomplishment to be displaying my work in a major fashion capital during one of the busiest and most important times of the year. I got to have beautiful conversations with people from all over the world who stumbled upon the pop-up after walking by and seeing our window displays.
I feel that every place I’ve visited and liked has resonated with my work in some way, but some other highlights were definitely Portugal, Costa Rica, Italy, and Spain.
Are there “must-see” areas of a city that you consistently explore to capture the inner life and energy of that city?
I really loved the neighborhood of Gracia in Barcelona. I found it very quaint and romantic. I had lots of first dates at Bocanariz Wine Bar — the entire restaurant was always candlelit and always had a good vibe to get a couple of drinks and then walk around the neighborhood at night for some people-watching.
What is a hotel where you feel at peace or energized?
Palm Heights in Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean. It’s no surprise that they are the cool kids on the block in the hotel scene right now because everything from the interiors to the spa and fitness center is superb and so tastefully done while still having a laid-back and chill island vibe to it all. It truly makes you feel peaceful and energized at the same time because you feel like you have everything you ever needed while still being in paradise.
How does your creative process begin?
I really like starting with a mood board to help me organize all of my thoughts because my mind is constantly racing with ideas. I need to physically be able to tear pages out of a book or print out images to pin on a big whiteboard in my studio and I will also include different trims and fabric swatches that I found that have interesting colors, textures, and sheens to them and strategically place everything on the board in a way that stimulates my mind and creates a story.
Usually, I’m inspired by music I’m listening to or a vintage film I saw or traveling. It brings me so much joy to find objects and images that evoke that feeling to put on the board and see where it takes me.
I just finished the mood board for the next collection and it has NASA space telescope images on it as well as photos of 1930s vintage raffia garments and a lot of photos of Monica Bellucci in the 90s. Quite a lot going on, but I like to start with a lot of different concepts and narrow down from there to the final elements of the collection.
What fuels your creativity within or outside of your professional world?
Definitely music: It can really transform you and take you to a place where nothing can touch you and you can live in that moment when you hear that song. Currently, I’m listening to a lot of SAULT, Jyoty, and Françoise Hardy. Quite an eclectic mix, but it always keeps things interesting.
Who are the women you admire most?
The women in my family, my friends, Eartha Kitt, Maya Angelou, Josephine Baker, and Erykah Badu. Also, I love the comedian Ziwe’s humor and intelligence.
What is your favorite quote, motto, or mantra?
“What is meant for you will find you.”
What are the pieces in your closet and in your home that you cannot live without?
I love collecting beautifully handmade ceramics for my home, whether they’re cups or plates that I use every day when fixing myself a cup of tea or a meal, candlestick holders, or little dishes that hold my loose change and Palo Santo to burn around my home. Taller Ruiz López is a beautiful ceramic studio and shop in Oaxaca where I get a lot of these.
For clothing, I am such a vintage fanatic. I really cherish pieces that are almost like costumes that I know I will pass down to my children as heirlooms whether it’s a vintage 1970s flamingo dress I found in Lisbon, a 90s John Galliano newsprint dress that fits me perfectly, or a classic buttery leather jacket that I know will never go out of style.
Who are your favorite emerging or under-the-radar designers, artists, photographers, or chefs?
Designers: NORBLACK NORWHITE, Lane Marinho, and Agbobly
Artists: Mónica Hernández, Alana Burns, and Elena Stonaker
Photographers: Camila Falquez, Pia Riverola, and Nadia Lee Cohen
What is the most authentic or unusual hotel you’ve stayed in and why?
I stayed at Demeures d'Orient Riad & Spa Marrakech in Morocco which had a live-in cook — the vegetable tagine that she made me from scratch was by far better than all of the meals that I had at five-star Michelin restaurants in Marrakech.
What is the best career or personal advice you ever received?
It’s so basic, but whenever people tell me to be confident in myself and my abilities and that I have everything that I need to thrive I feel that and I live that and everything always works out. Because if I don’t believe in myself, why should anyone else?
What restaurants do you consider a must-visit anywhere in the world and locally?
I prefer to go to little hole-in-the-wall restaurants that have eight tables and have existed for 30+ years. They always have the best food and no pretentious TikTok viral hype. Just good food, great wine, and excellent vibes. Some examples of these places are Masala y Maiz in Mexico City and Big Black Cook in Paris.
What is your favorite quiet spot?
Quiet little beach towns on the coast of Oaxaca like Mazunte. It is so calming and makes me want to chug fresh coconut water and listen to Bob Marley while reading on a hammock.
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