By Madeline Bates
Kirsten Juszczyk, wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, signed a deal with the NFL for her line of custom and upcycled pieces starring her husband’s and other NFL stars’ jerseys.
Last week, Taylor Swift debuted a coat made specifically for her by Juszczyk, who has become famous on TikTok and Instagram for her custom fan wear made from unused jerseys.
Juszczyk’s work has sparked conversation on social media about how women’s sportswear does not appeal to its audience.
“It's what men would expect women to wear,” said Courtney Dwaileebe, a women’s sports journalist focusing on football.
Dwaileebe has over 10,000 followers on TikTok and gained a following by sharing her thoughts and predictions about each football season since 2022. Also, she owns various pieces of merchandise from the Dallas Cowboys ranging from men’s jerseys to women’s v-neck and cropped t-shirts.
Juszczyk has changed the game by making wear that is business casual and even formal as she made a custom suit for herself in a playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.
This will be her second Super Bowl attendance since getting married to the fullback in 2019.
The social media frenzy–and the popularity of Taylor Swift–put Juszczyk on the map after years of posting her upcycled jerseys being made into corset tops, jackets, vests, and a custom suit for herself decked out head to toe in her husband’s number 44 jersey.
Following her design debut, there was legal speculation about whether or not Juszczyk would be allowed to sell her creations.
“Dadchats” on TikTok has made a following of over 1.5 million for his thoughts on parenting, marriage, and occasionally legal issues. Recently, he made a video about how this instance pertains to the first sale doctrine.
He explained that the first sale doctrine covers copyright work through a first sale. Since the jackets are considered upcycled clothing, it is legal for her product to use the Nike brand and logo since the design is the main product.
“If the sale misrepresents itself as an authorized sale, it might work in Kristen’s favor,” the creator said.
This has been put to rest as the deal gave her a license to use logos for men’s and women’s clothing.
This will work on closing the gap between men’s and women’s sportswear.
“My favorite Cowboys gear is the most simple designs,” said Dwaileebe, who buys Cowboys gear annually and tunes into every game.
She explained that the lack of simple designs is mainly NFL Official gear. Designs have evolved as Fox Sports Journalist Erin Andrews created her sportswear line “WEAR” to fill that gap.
Andrews explains on her LinkedIn page that ‘WEAR’ is “filling a white space in the female fan apparel market offering fashion-forward team gear that fits seamlessly into the female fan’s everyday wardrobe.”