Every Labor Day, Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway comes alive for the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade, as colorful floats, elaborate costumes, performers, masqueraders, musicians, dancers, cultural groups and community members fill the route through Crown Heights. An estimated one million spectators gather to witness one of New York’s largest celebrations of Caribbean culture.
The air was filled with music, movement and the unmistakable energy of a celebration that turned one of Brooklyn’s busiest thoroughfares into a living expression of Caribbean culture.
Among those taking part in the 59th annual celebration was Haitian designer Santia McKoy, who brought approximately sixty looks from Orlando to New York. Her collection added a distinctive Haitian perspective to the vibrant showcase, weaving in her signature use of bold color and symbolic design while highlighting themes of cultural pride, heritage and powerful messages of resilience.
Santia was one voice among many in an enormous celebration that brought together people, traditions and cultures from across the Caribbean. Along the parade route, the diversity of the region came to life through fashion, music, dance and performance, creating a powerful expression of Caribbean community and heritage.
Against the rhythm of drums, music and cheering crowds, the collection became part of the spectacle itself, with dramatic silhouettes and saturated colors commanding attention as the models moved along the streets of New York.
Santia stood alongside her models as they showcased her couture creations, bringing fashion and culture together in a powerful visual presentation. Through her designs, she offered a powerful visual expression of Haitian heritage while contributing to the broader celebration of Caribbean creativity and identity that defines the carnival.
For Santia, the opportunity to bring the stories her clothes tell to Eastern Parkway was deeply personal.“As a Haitian designer and businesswoman, I have always believed that fashion can carry a message. Every time I create something connected to Haiti, I want people to see more than a beautiful dress. I want them to see our history, our culture, our strength, our creativity and our pride.“
Seeing her designs moving down Eastern Parkway, surrounded by people from different Caribbean communities, was an emotional moment. “I knew how much work, sacrifice, time and personal investment went into getting that collection there. I was there to use my platform and my work to give Haiti a voice. I wanted Haiti to be seen, celebrated and remembered.”
That sense of purpose shaped the collection from its earliest stages.
Santia wasn’t simply preparing garments for a parade. She was building a collection large enough to command attention on one of New York’s most recognizable Caribbean stages while giving each piece its own visual identity.
“I wanted to use fashion as a powerful way to represent Haiti and tell our story. Every piece was created with intention—through the colors, the volume, the details and especially the messages behind some of the designs.
The finished collection may have appeared effortless as it moved down Eastern Parkway, but getting nearly sixty looks from Orlando to New York required weeks of preparation.
“The preparation was intense. Bringing close to sixty costumes from Florida to New York was almost like moving an entire fashion production. Every piece had to be designed, constructed, packed carefully, transported, organized, fitted to the models and prepared with the right accessories and headpieces. There were challenges right up until parade day, but I kept reminding myself of the purpose. I wanted Haiti to have a strong presence in New York. I knew that if we did it correctly, people wouldn’t just see the collection—they would remember it.”
The collection eventually made its way onto Eastern Parkway, but for Santia, the vision behind it was as meaningful as the finished presentation.
“The weeks leading up to the parade were extremely demanding. I was working almost every day and night because producing close to sixty looks in a limited amount of time required a tremendous amount of planning, materials, labor and financial investment. I wasn’t only creating costumes. Some of the major pieces were very detailed, almost like couture or wedding gowns, requiring large amounts of fabric and many hours of construction.”
Beyond the designs themselves, there were countless details to manage, from accessories and headpieces to transportation, models and fittings—all while Santia continued running her business and managing her other responsibilities.
“At the same time, I had to coordinate accessories, headpieces, transportation, models and fittings while still running my business and taking care of my other responsibilities. My family also played a major role. My husband and my children supported me throughout the entire process, and there were moments when it truly became a family production.”
Among the most eye-catching pieces were Santia’s bold, colorful designs, filled with the kind of vibrancy and movement that felt at home against the backdrop of a Caribbean parade. Bright hues, dramatic silhouettes and intricate details embraced the exuberance and celebratory spirit of the Caribbean, while remaining rooted in her Haitian identity and her approach to fashion as storytelling.
“My design style has always been dramatic. I love volume, oversized silhouettes, long trains, structured details and pieces that command attention. For this collection, I combined that signature style with vibrant colors and cultural elements that could communicate from a distance, because Eastern Parkway is such a large stage.”
That sense of drama became especially striking against the scale and energy of the parade. Santia’s designs brought their own visual language: bright colors, dramatic silhouettes, volume and movement. The aesthetic drew from the vibrancy of Caribbean culture while remaining distinctly connected to her own design vocabulary.
There was something inherently joyful about the way the garments moved with the parade—fashion that felt made not simply to be admired, but to be experienced. For Santia, that boldness was not simply an aesthetic choice. It was also a reflection of the culture she wanted the collection to represent.
“The boldness really comes from who we are as Caribbean people. Our culture is full of color, movement, energy and life, and I wanted the collection to reflect that. As a Haitian designer, I also wanted Haiti to have its own identity within that larger Caribbean celebration.”
But the beauty was only one part of it. Santia wanted someone to first be attracted by the beauty and boldness of the garment, and then become curious about the story behind it. To feel pride, emotion, curiosity, and respect.
“For me, fashion can be beautiful and still have something important to say.”
That distinction is central to Santia’s approach. The color and spectacle may draw the eye, but the story is what she hopes remains with the viewer.
Santia’s collection was one contribution to a parade filled with different expressions of Caribbean culture. Eastern Parkway became a place where people from across the Caribbean could represent their own countries, histories, traditions and identities while sharing the same space. It is an opportunity for different cultures to stand beside one another, celebrating what makes each community distinct while also recognizing the connections that bring the Caribbean together.
“It was a beautiful and powerful experience because Eastern Parkway became a place where so many Caribbean cultures could stand together and celebrate who we are. We all have different stories and different creative voices, and there is space for all of us.
For Santia, that balance between individuality and togetherness was an important part of the experience. She wanted Haiti to have a strong presence, while also recognizing its place within a larger Caribbean community.
“My responsibility that day was to make sure Haiti had a strong presence and that our story was represented with dignity, creativity and purpose. Seeing Haitian designs alongside so many other Caribbean cultures reminded me that although each island has its own identity, together we create something incredibly powerful. That is what Caribbean unity means to me: we can each shine individually while still celebrating one another.”
Santia used the collection to celebrate the visual richness of Haitian culture while confronting the realities facing Haitians, using fashion as both a celebration of identity and a platform for advocacy.
“The message I wanted to send was that Haiti is more than the difficult headlines people see every day. Haiti is a country of history, strength, creativity, culture and people who continue to contribute wherever we are in the world.”
Her Haiti 222/America 250 dress carries another layer of history. Created to mark Haiti’s 222nd anniversary of independence alongside the United States’ 250th, the piece places the two milestones in conversation, using fashion to reflect on Haiti’s history, independence and place in the world.
Other pieces reach further back into Haiti’s history. Her 1803 dress commemorates the Battle of Vertières, the decisive victory that helped bring French colonial rule in Haiti to an end. Broken chains symbolize the Maroons and other revolutionaries who fought for freedom during the Haitian Revolution, evoking the struggle that led Haiti to become the world’s first independent Black republic in 1804.
The collection also honored Suzanne “Sanité” Bélair, a fearless woman who fought for Haiti’s liberation during the Haitian Revolution. One of Santia’s models portrayed Sanité beneath the red and black flag of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, transforming the runway moment into a tribute to Haitian history, strength and resilience. For Santia, honoring figures like Sanité was a way to keep Haiti’s history visible while connecting the sacrifices of those who fought for freedom to the pride and identity of Haitians today.
“These chains represent a history we must never forget: Haiti broke slavery chains to become the first independent Black republic in the world in 1804.”
For Santia, however, the collection was not only about looking back. Some of the designs addressed issues affecting Haitians in the present, particularly Haitian families living in the United States.
“At the same time, I didn’t want to ignore the realities our community is facing. That is why some of my designs carried very direct messages, including my TPS dress and the 250/222 piece. I wanted to use fashion to bring attention to issues affecting Haitian families while also celebrating who we are. I wanted the world to understand that fashion can be a form of activism. A dress can be beautiful, but it can also educate, start conversations and document a moment in history.”
That idea comes to life in her TPS dress, one of the collection’s most narrative-driven pieces. The gown features workers from industries including healthcare, transportation, engineering, IT, construction and other essential fields—many of them people whose lives in the United States have been shaped by Temporary Protected Status.
Created with 52 yards of fabric, the design transforms a fashion garment into a visual tribute to Haitian workers living in the United States. By putting faces and professions to an issue that can often be reduced to paperwork and policy, Santia turns the subject into something deeply human and visible.
“My message was simple: See Haiti. Hear Haitians. Don’t define us only by our struggles. Recognize our humanity, our contributions, our culture and our strength.”
For Santia, that is where fashion moves beyond decoration. The garment becomes a conversation starter—a way to encourage people to look, ask questions and learn something they may not have known before. In Santia’s collection, clothing becomes more than something to wear; it becomes a way to tell Haiti’s story, honor its people and engage with the issues shaping the Haitian experience today.
The response along Eastern Parkway gave Santia a sense of whether that message was reaching people. Along the route, the clothes became part of the interaction between designer, wearer and crowd, with spectators leaning in, pointing out details and reaching for their phones to capture the moment.
“The moment that stayed with me most was seeing people’s reactions as our models walked down Eastern Parkway. People were stopping, taking pictures, recording videos, cheering and asking about the meaning behind the designs. That was when I realized the message was actually reaching people.
It became even more emotional afterward when she saw the photographs and videos spreading across social media and different media outlets.
“I had invested so much time, money, energy and emotion into this project, and there were many difficult moments behind the scenes. But seeing the public response made me realize that the sacrifices had created an impact. People didn’t just see the dresses—they saw Haiti, they asked questions and they received the message.”
The reaction became particularly significant when one of those messages traveled far beyond the parade route.
Santia’s designs received attention beyond the parade when New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani shared an image of her wearing the TPS design. For Santia, the moment mattered not simply because it brought attention to the dress, but because it gave the message behind it another platform and brought an issue affecting Haitian families to a much wider audience.
“When I saw that the Mayor had shared my photo, I was extremely proud and emotional because the TPS dress carried one of the most important messages of my entire collection. I created it to use fashion to bring attention to an issue deeply affecting the Haitian community. For the mayor of New York to share that image gave the message an even larger platform. It is about Haiti, our community, and making sure our voices were seen and heard.”
The moment also showed Santia how an idea that began on Eastern Parkway could travel far beyond the parade itself.
“Parade Producer Lionel Lamarre came up with the idea, I turned that idea into a dress, wore it on Eastern Parkway, and then watched that image reach an even larger audience through the mayor’s platform. It showed me the power of using fashion as a voice.”
For McKoy, that visibility speaks to something larger than one viral image. It reinforces what she hopes to demonstrate through her business: that Haitian creativity and entrepreneurship belong on major stages.
“As a Haitian business owner, it also reminded me that our work deserves to be visible on major platforms. I want the success of S&M Custom Design to open doors not only for me, but to show what Haitian creativity, talent and entrepreneurship can accomplish.”
Santia wasn’t trying to speak for every Haitian designer or define the entire Haitian presence at the parade. She was using the tools she knows best—fabric, color, silhouette, craftsmanship and storytelling—to contribute her own perspective.
For her, fashion offered a way to challenge a familiar narrative about Haiti. It could celebrate beauty without ignoring reality, honor culture while speaking to the present, and make people stop long enough to ask what they were seeing.
That may be the real power of fashion as a voice. Sometimes the first thing people notice is the color, the silhouette or the spectacle. But if they look closer, they may find a story waiting to be heard.
For Santia McKoy, that is ultimately what the collection was meant to do: invite people to look beyond the garment and see the history, creativity, strength and humanity behind it. On a parade route filled with thousands of voices from across the Caribbean, she added her own—a distinctly Haitian one.
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