Kristin Juszczyk’s life changed when Taylor Swift wore one of her handmade jackets to a Kansas City Chiefs game last year.
“I give all my credit to her,” Juszczyk tells Front Office Sports.
Now, the custom-made jackets that have taken off with stars from Simone Biles to Taylor Lautner are going out to the general public with an NFL-licensed line through Fanatics called Off Season. The brand is starting with puffer vests, jackets, and long coats for five teams: the Bills, Lions, Chiefs, Eagles, and 49ers, where her husband Kyle plays fullback. Prices range from $295 for a vest to $495 for a long coat.
The jackets aren’t being stitched by Juszczyk and her sewing machine like the other famous pieces from her five-year-old hobby, but she still swears by them.
“I wanted to make sure that the jacket that I gave Brittany [Mahomes] and Taylor [Swift], that this jacket feels just as nice,” Juszczyk says. “It possibly even is nicer, honestly.”
Four of the 32 offerings sold out within the first day, and two more did by Friday. Both the vest and puffer coat with San Francisco tight end George Kittle’s name and number sold out.
Juszczyk’s jackets hit a growing demand for creativity in sportswear, largely influenced by Swift. After the superstar wore Juszczyk’s jacket last January, searches for “custom NFL jackets” rose 2,000% on eBay in the U.S. and Canada from the month before. But it’s not just specific styles—searches for retro NFL gear got a 100% boost on eBay from the start of the 2023 season to January of last year. And while women already made up nearly half of the NFL fan base before Swift entered the picture, she’s spawned an army of superfans eager to support the Chiefs and the sport at large, leading to growing viewership among women—and specifically young women. The demand for more unique styles and influx of these passionate young female fans have created an opportune moment for Juszczyk to launch a sports fashion brand.
“I think that whenever you launch a brand, your hope is that things go really well, but this has really surpassed our expectations,” Off Season cofounder Emma Grede tells FOS. Grede has launched two successful brands with the Kardashian family; she is the CEO and cofounder of Khloe Kardashian’s size-inclusive denim company Good American, and a founding partner of Kim Kardashian’s shapewear company Skims, valued at $4 billion in 2023.
Starting the line with her husband’s team was a no-brainer, and outside of the 49ers’ fall from grace this year, the company perfectly predicted the NFL playoff picture, choosing each of the top two teams from the AFC and NFC, and a launch date of Jan. 7.
“We wanted to start small,” Juszczyk says. “What’s so important to us is when our customer gets the jacket that they love it. And they’re happy, and we want to know the feedback.” Off Season’s plan is to eventually expand to the rest of the league, and other sports and styles.
Even while launching the consumer brand, Juszczyk says she “hasn’t slowed down” with her “bread and butter” of making hand-designed pieces at her sewing machine. She and Grede say posts of Juszczyk’s weekly game-day outfits on social media have been helpful in seeing which designs fans love and hate.
“This is about taking something that is her passion and that she loves, but turning it into a real brand, “Grede says. “You’ve got to have that constant influx of inspiration and somebody that really feels passionate about what they’re doing. And that’s how all brilliant brands are actually born.”
