In a fashion world obsessed with deadlines — seasonal collections, age expectations, and the pressure to have it all by a certain time — designer Santia McKoy is choosing something radical: her own timing.
At the intersection of couture and culture, McKoy is rewriting the narrative of womanhood, one stitch at a time. In her latest release — The Surprise Collection — she turns an unexpected pregnancy at forty into her most intimate work yet, blending Black motherhood, Caribbean heritage, and creative rebirth into a bold statement of power, celebration and self-defined success. This is more than fashion. It’s a reclamation of timing, identity, and truth.
The international Haitian designer and founder of S&M Custom Design has always used fabric to tell stories. McKoy carries her Caribbean heritage into every collection — through storytelling, color symbolism, and generational strength passed down through women. But her latest release marks a creative and emotional turning point that boldly intertwines motherhood and the freedom to evolve without apology.
Santia McKoy’s The Surprise Collection Is a Couture Celebration of Life’s Most Unexpected Gift
The Surprise Collection is a statement of resistance. A rejection of timelines. A celebration of divine timing — expressed through the soft folds of silk, strong silhouettes, and the intimate truth of a pregnancy she never planned, but deeply cherishes.
Launched at age forty, while pregnant with her fourth child — and her first boy after three girls — McKoy’s designs are not just garments; they are a living testimony to the truth that success, motherhood, and self-expression aren’t bound by anyone else’s clock.
“This isn’t just a collection. It is my heart. It is my family. It is the most unexpected and beautiful blessing wrapped in fabric.”
Where Creation Begins
There is a quiet but powerful message running through McKoy’s collection: You don’t have to “arrive” by a certain age. You don’t have to choose between motherhood and ambition. You don’t have to explain your timing to anyone.
Growing up in Haiti, Santia McKoy was shaped by a childhood of humble beginnings — long hours in her family’s small sewing shop, improvised fabrics, and a relentless hunger to learn at just sixteen years old. Amidst systemic poverty, difficult infrastructure, and deep cultural resilience, she discovered her passion for fashion and the courage to pursue it. Many would have let those conditions define their limits. But Santia found purpose in them.
Today, that same hunger fuels her: becoming a mother again, launching a couture pregnancy collection, and forging a global brand. Her work is both a celebration and a continuation of her heritage — one that honors her past while designing the future. The odds stacked against her — economic hardship, cultural expectations, industry bias — have only made her more determined. More rooted. More unstoppable.
The Surprise Collection is, at its heart, a celebration of becoming — not just becoming a mother again, but becoming more of who Santia already is. As a Black woman in couture, McKoy has always approached design as an extension of identity. Her work has long been known for its elegance and emotional depth — pieces that feel worn, not just seen. But this time, the work was profoundly personal. As her body changed, so did her perspective.
There’s an unspoken magic in how this chapter of her life began. While visiting New York — a city often synonymous with ambition and speed — Santia and her husband conceived the child who would later inspire her most personal work. She didn’t find out she was pregnant until later, but the foundation had already been set.
“That trip gave me more than I expected,” she says. “New York is where the journey started — not where I realized I was pregnant, but where the story began.”
Designing in the Midst of Motherhood
Her designs took shape as she was shaping life. Pregnancy didn’t slow her — it deepened her purpose. Every seam carried new meaning. Every sketch was layered with emotion. She didn’t pause her work. She wove her evolution into it.
What makes this story so remarkable isn’t just the garments — it’s how and when they were created. McKoy designed the entire collection while fully immersed in motherhood. She continued to work with brides, manage fittings, and grow her business — all while nurturing the child within her.
“This journey taught me so much,” she reflects. “During that pregnancy, I was able to work fully while embracing every step of becoming a mother. I found comfort and peace in creating. I was designing wedding gowns for my clients, while my own body was shifting and growing,” she shares. “I found peace in that. I wasn’t divided — I was full. I was creating in every sense of the word.”
Inside the Surprise Collection
Each piece in The Surprise Collection reflects McKoy’s dual design philosophy: emotional truth and functional versatility. These aren’t one-time looks — they are garments that adapt, transform, and carry story. Soft nudes, earthy browns, and gentle drapes of fabric dominate the color palette—an intentional
nod to grounding, motherhood, and divine timing.
The earthy tones are a subtle nod to the natural palette of the Caribbean — sand, earth, sun-kissed browns. The silhouettes, while modern, are shaped by her cultural understanding of modesty, femininity, and strength. Subtle embellishments represent strength, while silhouettes evoke comfort and transformation.
The standout piece is the Maternity Robe, a hybrid design that begins as soft, intimate loungewear and transforms into a showstopping gown. It’s layered, celebratory design rounds out the collection with softness and grace. It feels like a visual exhale: the breath you release after receiving unexpected joy. It brings closure to the emotional arc McKoy set out to design. Perfect for bridal prep, maternity photos, or sacred personal moments, it encapsulates what McKoy calls “the fluidity of womanhood.”
“It captures the idea that we’re never just one thing,” McKoy says. “We evolve — and so should our clothing.”
While the collection centers on Santia’s personal transformation, it also honors her partnership. Two menswear looks — one in classic black and the other in a warm brownish nude — were designed specifically for her husband. These suits are more than style statements; they are symbols of shared strength, softness, and support.
The black suit is timeless and tailored — perfect for formal events, weddings, or any occasion where presence matters. It’s structured, elegant, and carries a sense of bold tradition. In contrast, the brownish nude look brings a softer energy — more casual but still intentional. Worn with or without the full jacket, the neutral palette complements the overall collection’s earthy tones and adds a sense of calm and intimacy.
“His pieces are about partnership and versatility,” Santia says. “We’re growing through this together, so I wanted to reflect that — strength, softness, and being able to show up fully no matter the setting.”
Together, the two suits complete the collection’s emotional arc: from formality to intimacy, tradition to transformation. The gender reveal is tucked subtly beneath her husband’s shoes — a small but poignant symbol. That’s what The Surprise Collection does best: it honors the quiet miracles, the whispered truths, the strength found in softness.
The Black Dress adds boldness and edge. It’s refined but unafraid to speak up. Made for galas, weddings, or moments of pure self-expression, it represents that delicate balance between vulnerability and power.
“Every piece tells a story of love, versatility, and celebration,” she says. “That was the goal — to design not just for the moment, but for all the beautiful transitions around it. It’s classic, but it makes noise,” she says. “It reflects confidence, even in uncertainty. You don’t have to choose between purpose and pregnancy,” she says. “You can be both fully creative and fully present.”
It’s a message she hopes more women will embrace.
Designing With Purpose
Turning forty is often framed as a finish line, especially for women. But for McKoy, it became the beginning of something deeper.
“There’s this narrative that you have to ‘make it’ by 30,” she says. “That if you haven’t hit your big milestones by then, it’s too late. I’m here to say — that’s just not true.”
Now, she feels more aligned with her voice than ever before. There’s clarity in her craft, precision in her storytelling, and peace in her path.
“As I grow older, I design with more honesty, more purpose, and more understanding of what people truly feel,” she says. “I don’t create anything without first living in the story behind it.”
From sewing for her children to now dressing clients around the globe, McKoy’s journey hasn’t been fast — it’s been faithful. The Surprise Collection is a culmination of that devotion: to her art, her family, and herself.
A Timeline of Her Own
McKoy’s quiet defiance of fashion’s clock is what makes her work so resonant. She isn’t shouting to be heard. She’s living her truth, and it speaks volumes.
“I used to think I had to hit certain goals by a certain age,” she says. “Now I know — everything arrives exactly when it’s supposed to.”
The Surprise Collection doesn’t just tell a story of new life. It dismantles the myth that timing must be perfect to be powerful. It reclaims agency for every woman who has ever felt late — to motherhood, to love, to success, to herself.
In a world where everything is urgent, McKoy offers something rare: permission to go slow, to go deep, to arrive fully.
The Final Stitch
With The Surprise Collection, Santia McKoy has done more than design couture. She’s told a story that stitches vulnerability into strength, joy into structure, and transformation into tradition. She’s shown that fashion can be both art and affirmation. And in doing so, she’s reminded us all: There are no deadlines on your becoming.
“To any woman out there wondering if she’s too late — you’re not,” McKoy says. “You’re right on time. Your story is still unfolding.” Let yourself be surprised by it. It is never too late. Not to fall in love. Not to start a business. Not to receive the blessing of motherhood. Take care of yourself — spiritually, mentally, physically. Walk in faith. Be open. Trust your timing.
Through The Surprise Collection, Santia McKoy isn’t just designing clothes. She’s designing permission — for every woman to arrive when she’s ready, evolve as she goes, and honor every season of her life. Because womanhood, like couture, is most powerful when it’s tailored—not to trend, but to truth. Because unapologetic womanhood, like couture, is most powerful when it’s tailored — not to trend, but to truth.
