Kristin Juszczyk posted a video showcasing her latest NFL collection for Off-Season. The clip featured her husband, 49ers All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk, dutifully modeling a black, embroidered zip-up. “I need a raise,” he joked in the comments. It was all in good fun, a peek into their supportive, symbiotic partnership. But it was a comment from Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s wife, Kiya Tomlin, that stole the show.

The renowned designer saw the dynamic duo and left a note of admiration mixed with playful resignation. “Super cute stuff! And I love how your hubby is so supportive. I could never talk Mike into modeling for me!” But Kristin’s not ready to give up hope just yet. 

“@kiyatomlin it’s never too late!!!” Kristin replied. The image of Mike Tomlin, a man of stoic sideline stares and unwavering intensity, trying on a fashion collection is a delightful impossibility. As Kiya Tomlin knows, you can design a masterpiece, but you can’t design your husband’s participation. But in all fairness, despite his lack of interest in a modeling assignment for his wife, his support for her enterprise has been unwavering.

“He is very supportive. He doesn’t pretend to know if it’s good or not,” Kiya said back in 2012, per CBS News. More importantly, perhaps, he knows better than to share his opinion on things that he doesn’t understand. Once, when Kiya asked for his two cents on a short, hooded, long-sleeved red dress that she put on for a charity event, Tomlin said, “If you like it, I love it. Let’s go.” And honestly, there is no reason for him not to trust his wife’s judgement in fashion.

Kiya Tomlin’s journey mirrors Kristin’s in its passion but charts a uniquely intentional course. As a child, she dreamed of being a doctor, a path praised for its stability. But alongside that practical ambition, she nurtured a love for sewing and design that was her true form of self-care. She even took her sewing machine to college.

The pivotal moment came when she skipped her MCAT exam, choosing instead to fully embrace the world of fashion. What followed was a grind of apprenticeships and classes, often attended while on the road with her coach husband. She launched with custom wedding gowns, a venture that honed her craft. In 2014, she founded the Kiya Tomlin brand, focused on practical, versatile, and stylish clothing that is and always has been size-inclusive. It is so that she can serve all women—one of the many core commitments that her brand continues to honor.

How Mike Tomlin’s wife weaves sustainability and service into her brand

Kiya Tomlin’s commitment to sustainability is woven into the very fabric of her business. In an era infamous for its ‘throw-away culture’, she works tirelessly to address the problems of overproduction and fabric wastage in the fashion industry. None of her “game day” pieces are fast fashion, thanks to the vertically integrated factory that produces brand new collections with little to no waste—a stark contrast to the industry’s typical excess. This isn’t just business; it’s a philosophy.

What also forms a part of her brand’s ethos is compassion. And that was evident in her response to Hurricane Harvey, which devastated Houston in 2015. With a new collection’s inventory sitting unsold, she reached out to the wife of the Texans’ head coach and rallied other wives to distribute clothing to survivors in Houston’s most impacted areas, understanding that dignity is often found in feeling good in what you wear.

That was far from the first time Kiya Tomlin extended a helping hand in a time of crisis. As COVID-19 raged, she and her team made masks for those in need. She is also known to have upcycled fabric scraps into dolls, neck rolls, and other items for the use of hospice patients and children with special needs.

As no-nonsense and straightforward as Mike Tomlin is, perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea for him to take a page out of Kyle Juszczyk’s playbook and model a couple of pieces. After all, Kiya has an entire line of t-shirts with his quotes on them.