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We’re still a little over 48 hours from kickoff, but Super Bowl LVIII has already scored a resounding victory for Long Island’s Kristin Juszczyk.
Bids for the young fashion designer’s officially licensed NFL Super Bowl unisex puffer vest have skyrocketed since she kicked off an online auction for the item on Thursday. As of this writing, the highest of 91 bids so far was $33,800.
Juszczyk, a 2012 Massapequa High School graduate and wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity since she designed and made a custom-fit Travis Kelce coat that the Kansas City tight end’s girlfriend, superstar Taylor Swift, wore in sub-zero temperatures during a Chiefs home playoff win on Jan. 13.
Juszczyk now has nearly 1 million followers on Instagram, where they get a behind the scenes look of how the 29-year-old develops custom reworked clothing by upcycling football jerseys and other team apparel. It’s a 600,000 jump from before the Swift jacket.
A growing number of professional athletes and celebrities are turning to Juszczyk for her design capabilities. Among her biggest fans is lifestyle icon Martha Stewart.
“From one crafter/designer/ entrepreneur to another best wishes with this new and smart venture! You saw a void , a huge void, and filled it!!!!!! I am a huge fan!!!! Go for it !!!!” Stewart commented on Juszczyk’s Thursday Instagram post that featured the Super Bowl vest.
“By the way I will be looking for you in Vegas! Can’t wait to see what you have sewed up!” Stewart added in a separate comment.
Bidding on the Super Bowl vest, a size large, ends at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday. All proceeds will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. Juszczyk’s mother died from breast cancer in 2012, just months before Juszczyk graduated from high school.
Click here to keep track of the bidding.
Juszczyk’s pal Olivia Culpo — who was Miss Universe in 2012 and is married to San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey — was in awe of the “Super Bowl 58” vest.
“OMGGGGGGGGG!!!! You did that!!” she posted in the comments section of Juszczyk’s Instagram post showcasing the vest and announcing the auction.
Culpo, who was Miss Rhode Island and Miss America on her way to being crowned Miss Universe, has previously turned to Juszczyk for design help. Check out below the top Juszczyk crafted for Culpo to wear during a 49ers’ home playoff win last month.
There’s a bit of irony in Juszczyk’s 2024 success story. The Chiefs are matched up this Sunday in Las Vegas against San Francisco, who her husband has played on for seven seasons.
The vest is Juszczyk’s first NFL-licensed design. Last week, Juszczyk and the NFL struck an official licensing deal that allows the designer to use NFL marks in men’s and women’s apparel designs.
Juszczyk told People magazine that it’s long been her goal to see fans wearing her designs.
“I’ve been at this for a few years now, and my goal was always to be able to get that NFL licensing deal so I can get fans into my clothing,” she told People. “I realized it’s just not enough to just be dressing myself.”
Massapequa designer makes Taylor Swift’s Chiefs coat, scores NFL licensing deal
“So my goal this year was to create a unique design for myself for every single game, and then also to try to dress somebody else, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be able to dress who I’ve dressed,” she added.
Earlier this week, Juszczyk surprised McCaffrey and San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy and running back with special puffer vests to celebrate the Niners pair winning the FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Year Awards.
Top images: Instagram and designsbykristin.com
