Kristin Juszczyk, it’s “YOOS (like, USE) and CHECK” has had some success recently in fashion design. But it hasn’t been overnight for the 30-year-old, as the media’s been framing it. She saw a huge void and filled it, Martha Stewart observed. Commenting on Juszczyk’s Instagram post featuring her first “Licensed NFL drop,” a vest. She’s also signed a deal with the NFL, Invisalign, and Gatorade. The proceeds raised over $75K for breast cancer research. Juszczyk designed NFL-themed apparel for many athletes and super-celebrities such as Taylor Swift. The native New Yorker accomplished all this in only the past month. Kristin Juszczyk now has the attention of contemporary American style. But what can she leverage with these 15 minutes of 2024 that’s already ticking away? Well, I have some ideas. Hear them out.
First, New York—where she’s from—is the epicenter of fashion in America. Those now-viral puffer jackets made for Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes are impressive. Juszczyk is self-taught. The garment has a rich 80-something-year history, starting with its inventor, Eddie Bauer. The designer had the idea in 1936 after suffering hypothermia on a winter fishing trip.
Norma Kamali, a native New Yorker, created another of its popular iterations. In 1973, after a camping trip, Kamali got the idea to repurpose sleeping bags into puffers. It made it easy to stay warm on cold nights while going to the bathroom outdoors. The late fashion icon André Leon Talley favored his made by Kamali. A designer he called an “American genius of fashion.” Rihanna’s Super Bowl 2023 halftime performance last year paid homage to Talley. Before revealing her pregnancy, she wore a red flowing ground-skimming puffer by Alaïa.
A puffer coat that is practical, convenient, and fashionable isn’t easy to pull off. But Juszczyk’s take on them has potential. With this new licensing agreement with the NFL, she could lean into her New York roots. The Giants are in desperate need of an overhaul of not only their offensive line but apparel, too. The Jets are unveiling new uniforms this April. Why not jackets and coats to match made for fans? Buffalo rapper Westside Gunn helped popularize the late Virgil Abloh’s Off-White puffer. The Lilac built-in cross-body bag one. With the puffer, there is an opportunity to go further. Whether Juszczyk has an interest in exploring it is another story.
It took New Haven, Connecticut company Starter, Inc. almost ten years of pitches and rejections before getting an NFL deal. From an empirical standpoint, I don’t remember New Yorkers wearing football apparel. Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall featured Starter’s baseball jackets in Coming to America. That’s when the company saw a spike in popularity. Many rappers in the 1990s adopted the brand. Growing up, my family wore Starter’s MLB caps and NBA jackets. But among 2024’s estimated 200 million Super Bowl viewers, many tuned in for Taylor Swift. She’s dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Juszczyk made her and Brittany Mahomes custom jackets. Brittany is the wife of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Since 2020, women have made up about half of NFL fans. But this year came with a new kind of clean energy and engagement. Women who are supporting the professional sport and its events on their terms. From Beyoncé’s Verizon ad to her album announcement. To the Super Bowl suite packed with celebs and designers who are personal friends of Swift. Blake Lively, Ice Spice, or New York-based industry stylist and designer Ashley Avignone. The bomber Swift wore is from WEAR by another designer, Erin Andrews.
Kristin Juszczyk married San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk in 2019. The two met in Baltimore while she was in college when he played for the Ravens. Before Designs by Kristin, established in 2023, her first fashion line was Origin. The brand offered everyday essentials like sweats, tops, and denim. But it seems Juszczyk has a natural passion and talent for fashionable athletic wear. It is almost as if she grafts her personality into the functionality of the pieces. Like the corset she made for Olivia Culpo. She’s engaged to 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Or the custom puffer vest she made for Simone Biles, it’s fire. The Olympic gymnast married Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens last year.
Juszczyk graduated from Massapequa High School in 2012. It’s in a town about 40 miles or an hour’s drive outside New York City. Long Island is a southeastern swath of land about 120 miles long. Hence its name. While it’s a beautiful place, many natives are eager to shed their connection to it. While a city-born native, I did live on Long Island for a few months in my twenties. I get it. Many famous New Yorkers often do, and the names would surprise you.
Francis Ford Coppola. Edie Falco and Lorraine Bracco were born in Brooklyn. But with their accents, you wouldn’t think they grew up on Long Island. Their Sopranos co-star Jamie-Lynn Sigler. The “Vegas magician and illusionist,” Criss Angel. Judd Apatow of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, This is 40, and HBO’s Girls. Amy Schumer. The late Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown. The King of Queens star Kevin James. Rappers Rakim, Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Chuck D and Flavor Flav. Wrestlers Mick Foley and Chris Jericho. Fashion designers Donna Karan, Kenneth Cole, and Steve Madden. Mariah Carey. Though born in Israel, Natalie Portman grew up in Jericho. How often do people associate Jerry Seinfeld with his hometown of Massapequa?
There’s a special kind of New Yorker that prefers California living. In an alternative universe, a Darryl Potter is living there. “Renata Klein’s (played by Laura Dern)” home from HBO’s Big Little Lies. It’s not in Monterey. It’s Malibu. Native New Yorkers Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz crushed my dreams and put a fire under me to go harder. They bought the “Iron Man House” seen in the MCU franchise. Like, flex on us live in it every day for real. La Jolla. It was my goal back in the aughts after spending time in California. But things happened in my life that made me realize that I am New York as fuck to the core. Kristin Juszczyk and Kyle do own a four-bedroom Colonial in Massapequa. But they also have a 4,300-square-foot home on 3.67 acres in San Jose. Juszczyk studied business in college but is also a licensed real estate agent.
The Bay Area isn’t the epicenter of fashion in America. New York is. In the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose gets voted on many lists as a top place to start a business and live. Only time will tell what Kristin Juszczyk plans to do with these deserved 15 minutes in fashion. But if it were me, I’d consider a future in fashion with the home advantage.
