Copyright Essence
Nobody asks NFL coaches’ wives what they’re building. The assumption is they’re too busy supporting their men, whether that’s through holding down the home front, raising the kids and showing up in the team colors on Sundays. But Taneka Bowles and Kiya Tomlin didn’t get the memo about staying in the background (and both are literally going beyond the bleachers, as Bowles Instagram name accurately describes). While their husbands—Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin—call plays from the sidelines, these two Black women are doing what Black women do, success of their husbands or not: building their own empires. One stitch, one runway show, one community initiative at a time. And they’re doing it all while navigating the unpredictable demands of NFL life, raising children, and refusing to be defined solely by who they’re married to. Now, Kiya Tomlin’s journey into fashion started with frustration. The New Jersey native, who begged her mother for a sewing machine at age 10 and designed her own prom dress in high school, couldn’t find anything she actually wanted to wear to Steelers games. Oversized jerseys? Definitely not her style. Or something pink and bedazzled? Absolutely not. In 2014, she decided to solve her own problem and launched Kiya Tomlin Apparel with one goal: create clothing that felt as comfortable as a favorite sweatshirt but looked elegant enough for anywhere. That one dress she designed for herself has grown into a full collection featuring her signature bamboo-based stretch knits, manufactured right in Pittsburgh by a small staff of women who do everything by hand. And this year, Kiya did what few small businesses ever accomplish and that was securing official NFL licensing for all 32 teams. For a Black woman entering a space that’s been dominated by men designing for men for decades, the milestone is no small feat whatsoever. “For decades, sports licensing has been built by men, for men,” she explains. “To step into that world, as the first Black female licensee for the NFL, and designing for women, feels powerful. It’s about more than just clothes. It’s about visibility.” That visibility that she speaks of matters now more than ever. Nearly 42% of NFL fans are women, yet for years their options were limited to whatever men thought they should wear. Kiya saw the gap and filled it with pieces female fans could actually wear beyond game day, whether that was to work, date night, or even an *ahem* Target run. Her sustainability approach sets her apart too. Manufacturing in-house means better control over fabric layout, less waste, and materials repurposed into other designs. She creates new styles in small batches each season, testing how they sell before producing more. “At the heart of my brand is the belief that comfort and confidence should co-exist,” Kiya says. “Everything I create begins with how a woman wants to feel. I design for women who are busy living full lives—juggling work, family, travel—and still want to feel beautiful, comfortable and confident in their skin.” Nearly 1,000 miles south in Tampa, Taneka Bowles was charting her own path with similar intent. Raised in a small town outside New Orleans where taking care of your community wasn’t optional, Taneka grew up watching her mother and aunts pull together immaculate looks every single time they left the house. Fashion was in her blood. But it wasn’t until her youngest son Tyson was diagnosed with autism during her husband’s time with the New York Jets that she figured out how to merge her two loves: fashion and giving back. When the Bowles family moved to Tampa in 2019, Taneka felt called to continue her charitable work but didn’t know a soul locally. After the pandemic lifted and she started meeting people, she floated an idea: fashion shows that benefit autism charities. What she discovered was bigger than she expected—a void waiting to be filled and an entire community of talented, overlooked models and designers who desperately needed a platform. That realization birthed both the Tampa Bay Fashion Experience (TBFE) and the Tampa Bay Fashion Foundation. Since the inaugural event in 2023, TBFE has raised over $250,000 for local charities while giving opportunities to models of all shapes, sizes, complexions, and abilities to walk runways, not just in Tampa, but at New York Fashion Week and Miami Swim Week. “Being able to give opportunities to people of all shapes and sizes, especially people of color, means everything to me,” Taneka explains. “Again, I believe when you see something, you don’t just say something but you do something. Seeing individuals with so much talent, some of which were in socioeconomically disadvantaged situations, having limited exposure due to their circumstances created a desire in me to use my platform and my reach to get them to bigger stages.” Taneka serves on the board of the Autism Acceptance Center and has mobilized the Buccaneers organization to spearhead service activities throughout Tampa, focusing particularly on women and families. “It’s not just your standard show, each event is different and it is Tampa’s—it doesn’t need to look like New York, Paris, or LA; it’s ours,” she says. “Our community. Our causes. Our fashion. Our talent.” The organization invests heavily in model training, coaching, and confidence building. Models who didn’t make the cut at initial castings have come back after TBFE’s boot camp and gone on to book shows at major fashion weeks. Some are now signed to big agencies but still return to walk in TBFE shows, mentor newer models, and volunteer in the community. “I love being a part of someone’s story,” Taneka says. Both women are navigating schedules that would break most people. Taneka spends two hours every morning meditating and reading her Bible—a non-negotiable that keeps her centered while producing weekday events, traveling to watch her two sons play college football in Michigan and Long Island, then flying back for Buccaneers home games. Some weeks she’s at her sons’ away games and her husband’s away games. Kiya manufactures collections in Pittsburgh while raising three kids and showing up for her husband’s relentless schedule. The balancing act requires real support. Taneka credits her team at TBFE and a family that shows up fully, while even her husband stays up late with her helping with event soundtracks and letting her bounce ideas off him despite his own exhausting job. Kiya’s advice for women: “You don’t have to choose between being supportive and being successful in your own right. You can be both. The key is to define success for yourself and not let anyone else’s definition limit you.” Their work is about creating pathways where none existed before. Kiya’s NFL partnership proves women deserve representation in every space, from sidelines to C-suites. Taneka’s commitment to showcasing diverse models challenges the fashion industry’s exclusivity while directly supporting Tampa families in need. “I hope to serve as a reminder to women that success requires vision and faith, not permission,” Kiya reflects on the legacy she wants to leave. “I hope my journey shows that you can build something extraordinary by staying true to yourself, your family and your purpose. My brand is about more than fashion. It’s about freedom and confidence. The freedom to define beauty, and the confidence to pursue success in our own way.” Taneka’s vision for TBFE centers on continued growth—more families reached, more young women mentored, more partnerships formed. “I want to continue mentoring and speaking to young women and really helping them to accomplish their goals while simultaneously teaching them the importance of giving back,” she says. As another NFL season unfolds and cameras focus on coaches pacing sidelines, two women are building something equally powerful off the field. They’re proof that supporting a high-profile partner doesn’t require dimming your own light, and instead, sometimes it fuels it.
