Kristin Juszczyk, the wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback, Kyle Juszcyk has gone viral several times this season for her jacket designs. But her popularity began to pick up steam after Taylor Swift sported one of her originals. And now, the NFL has offered Kristin a licensing deal. She now has permission to officially use the brand logos according to page six.
“Representatives from the NFL confirm to Page Six Style that the organization has penned a licensing deal with the designer, as first reported by Sportico,” Page Six wrote.
“Juszczyk, 29 — who is married to San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk — signed a contract with the football league for an undisclosed amount that will allow her to use NFL logos on her designs.”
Fans Slam Juszczyk’s New NFL Deal
Juszcyk’s new deal is major news. But not everyone shares her excitement. Several Twitter users noted the hypocrisy of how quickly the NFL offered Juszcyk a new deal in comparison to how they have shut down other independent designers.
“This is what we mean by Black women get no credit or profit from our cultural contributions. When we did these styles first in the late ’90s & early ’00s, it was deemed as “urban”. Brand deals & partnerships were little to none. Now she has an official licensing deal with the NFL,” one user wrote.
“It’s so dishonest to pretend this woman is creating innovative designs + changing the way women exist in sports apparel when THIS is the foundation,” another user added.
“The NFL wasn’t gonna risk pissing Taylor Swift off, so they gave her girl Kristin Juszczyk that NFL deal. Smart,” Another said.
49ers’ Fullback Praises Wife’s Success
Juszczyk has already put together quite a roster of clientele for her designs. Brittney Mahomes, wife of Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and decorated Gymnast Simone Biles has also donned her Jackets.
The designs are very complex. They usually feature a patchwork of player’s names and numbers in various places on the jacket.
The 49ers fullback says each jacket designed by Kristin sometimes takes ‘20 hours alone.’
“There are times I’m waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning and she’s not in bed, she’s downstairs working. I’m so proud of her. I think she’s extremely talented, and the things she’s putting out there are one of a kind,” he said.
And although Kristin’s rise to popularity happened in just a short time, Kyle says that she had been working toward her success for years.
“She’s been grinding for years now and working so hard,” the 49ers fullback told reporters. “I’m so happy to see her get her stuff out there; everybody sees it and recognizes it was hers.”