She might just be the biggest in sports fashion right now, but how did Kristin Juszcyk go from real estate to one of Taylor Swift's favorite designers?
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00:00She might just be the biggest in sports fashion right now, but how did Kristen Yuzcek go from
00:06real estate to one of Taylor Swift's favorite designers?
00:10Kristen Yuzcek was born Kristen Arceri in February 1994.
00:15She was raised in Long Island, New York and graduated from Massapequa High School in 2012.
00:21According to her LinkedIn profile, she attended the University of Rhode Island for two years
00:25and then transferred to Towson University in Maryland.
00:28That's where she met Kyle Yuzcek, a Harvard University graduate who started his pro football
00:33career with the Baltimore Ravens after being selected in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL
00:37Draft.
00:38She graduated in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing.
00:43Kristen worked several other jobs before committing to her passion for fashion, including gigs
00:47for the TGX companies Red Bull, the ad agency MGH, and Stanley Black & Decker.
00:54After graduating from Towson, Kristen Yuzcek had plans to enter real estate once she obtained
00:58her license in Maryland.
01:00But soon enough, she had to make a huge career decision.
01:03When her future husband signed a deal with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, she moved
01:07with him to California, which meant that she also had to obtain a real estate license for
01:12her new home state.
01:13This proved to be quite the pivotal moment for Kristen.
01:16As she explained to Niners Nation in 2021,
01:18"'I was really able to look myself in the mirror and be like, okay, what do you want
01:22to do?
01:23Do you still have to real estate?
01:24Do you want to take this course all over again?
01:26It's state by state, so I'd have to get my license over here."
01:29Ultimately, the career switch proved to be one of the best decisions that Kristen ever
01:34made.
01:35The only other option is to create."
01:37Kristen and Kyle Yuzcek took a giant leap together in their relationship as they headed
01:40out west together to San Francisco.
01:43And as it turns out, she played a big part in his decision to sign with the 49ers.
01:47He was reportedly offered more money by another team, but he ultimately couldn't pass up the
01:51chance to play for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
01:55There was also the fact that his girlfriend was excited about the prospect of living and
01:58working in the Bay Area.
01:59Moving to California also meant that Kristen would be able to focus on fashion, and being
02:04her own boss.
02:05As she explained to Niners Nation,
02:06"'Most of the members in my family are all entrepreneurs, starting their own businesses.
02:10I've always had the support from my family and inspiration from my dad and his brothers."
02:15Kyle proposed to Kristen the same year that they made the big move.
02:18They got engaged on a beach, with Kristen sharing a photo of that special day on Instagram,
02:22along with the caption,
02:23"'We're engaged!'
02:24Still feels like a dream, but I couldn't possibly feel any more love than I do right now.
02:29It's a privilege to be able to love you forever."
02:32Kristen and Kyle Yuzcek got married on July 6th, 2019, in upstate New York, at the Cedar
02:37Lakes Estate.
02:38It was an outdoor ceremony overlooking the water.
02:41The big day featured a beautiful arch of white flowers and the bride's bouquet of cascading
02:46orchids.
02:47The couple wore a lace and beaded Berta wedding gown, while Kyle wore a traditional black
02:50tux.
02:51Kristen shared photos of the two of them reading their vows, along with the caption,
02:55"'Kyle and I were so nervous to write our own vows, but now, as we look back, it was
03:00our favorite part of the entire weekend.
03:02We've never felt so much love, laughter, and tears in only a few minutes.'"
03:06In July 2020, the Yuzceks celebrated their first wedding anniversary, with Kristen sharing
03:11a photo of the two of them on Instagram in their wedding day outfits.
03:15As she explained in the caption,
03:16"'Kyle and I decided to start a new tradition last night.
03:19On our wedding anniversary, we're going to put on our dress and tux, however long we
03:23can fit into it, and reflect on how much we've grown and changed from the previous year.'"
03:28"'I just so badly want her to get the recognition that she deserved.'"
03:31Before Kristen Yuzcek started making trendy gear for her celebrity friends, she launched
03:36a fashion brand called Origin in 2018.
03:40As she announced on Instagram,
03:41It's always scary taking a leap of faith and pursuing a dream with no guidance, but waking
03:45up passionate about your job eliminates the fear of the future and gives you the motivation
03:50to push through those hurdles.
03:52I am overjoyed to announce the launch of Origin, and I can't wait to see where this journey
03:56takes me.
03:57The now-defunct online boutique offered a wide array of clothing, including sweatshirts
04:02for both men and women, that cleverly read,
04:04"'The juice is worth the squeeze.'"
04:06A nod to her husband's last name, Kyle has consistently been a huge inspiration for his
04:11wife.
04:12As she explained to Niners Nation in 2021,
04:13"'There is nobody I know that loves his job every single day.
04:17That man wakes up with a smile on his face, and he comes home with a smile on his face.
04:21It makes me want to go after my dreams, too.'"
04:23In that same interview, Kristen also revealed,
04:25"'I just really hope to have my own line coming up spring, fall, and summer and get away from
04:31having wholesale clothing and boutique clothing.
04:34That's really where I see myself going.'"
04:37In 2023, Kristen Yuzchek launched Designs by Kristen, a clothing line in which she takes
04:42NFL apparel and reworks them into one-of-a-kind pieces.
04:46As she explained on her website,
04:47"...I rediscovered my love of sewing one Halloween when I decided to make a costume for Kyle
04:52and I. After finishing that project, I got a feeling like I've never felt before, a feeling
04:56like this is what I should have been doing my whole life."
04:59I then began reworking my game day outfits for Kyle's games.
05:03I started reworking old T-shirts, jerseys, and even footballs into fresh designs.
05:08Yuzchek never studied fashion in college, but her love of creating outfits was instilled
05:12in her from a young age.
05:13As she revealed,
05:14"...I spent countless nights crocheting with my grandma while watching Wheel of Fortune.
05:18I definitely hung up my needle and thread for a few years, more like 20 years."
05:23Yuzchek began showcasing her NFL apparel back in 2021.
05:26She shared a video on Instagram that November, in which she took a 49er shirt and transformed
05:31it into a cinched long sleeve with silver chain detailing.
05:36People really began to take notice of Kristen Yuzchek's NFL designs when Taylor Swift was
05:40spotted wearing a custom Kansas City Chiefs jacket during a playoff game against the Miami
05:45Dolphins in January 2024. It featured her boyfriend Travis Kelcey's jersey number and
05:50name on it.
05:51In an interview with E! News, Yuzchek called this a pinch-me moment.
05:55She also designed a similar red Chiefs puffer coat for Brittany Mahomes, wife of Chiefs
05:59quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
06:01"...There's nothing more rewarding than spending so much time and energy into making something
06:04and then see someone that you look up to wearing it."
06:07Yuzchek has also made custom gear for other famous folks, including Olympic gymnast Simone
06:11Biles. She took the jersey of Biles' husband, NFL safety Jonathan Owens, and made it into
06:16a puffer vest. Yuzchek has also been rocking her own looks at NFL games.
06:20During the NFC Championship in 2024, in which the 49ers defeated the Detroit Lions, she
06:26wore a custom long puffer coat that revealed the hidden message? Super Bowl-bound in the
06:31sleeves.
06:32"...Everyone's been commenting and being so sweet and so supportive of me."
06:35Kristen Yuzchek has been expertly nailing designs for men as well. One of her very first
06:40designs was for actor Taylor Lautner, who's a major Detroit Lions fan. He was in attendance
06:45when they played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a January 2024 playoff game. Before the
06:49kickoff, he received designs by Kristen Peace that featured Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson's
06:55jersey number.
06:56Yuzchek has also hooked up some of her husband's teammates, like the red puffer vest she made
07:01for wide receiver Debo Samuel. It featured 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's name and number
07:06on the back, with MVP stitched all over it. And naturally enough, Yuzchek has also dressed
07:12her husband in some of her threads. Before the 2024 Super Bowl, he sported a leather
07:16jacket with his teammates' names, numbers, and signatures.
07:20After designing clothing for so many big names, Kristen Yuzchek's fashion became one of the
07:25hottest topics of conversation during the football season. So it was hardly a surprise
07:29when she signed a licensing deal with the NFL in January 2024, which allowed her to
07:34use official league logos on her clothes.
07:37Yuzchek's first official NFL piece was a set of Super Bowl 58-inspired puffer vests that
07:42featured the number 58. They were gifted to Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffery, who were
07:46named the 2023 FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Year, respectively. Non-football celebrities
07:52including Gwen Stefani, Gayle King, and Kelly Clarkson also got their hands on one of Kristen's
07:57custom Super Bowl vests.
07:59As Clarkson declared on Instagram,
08:00"'Shout out to Kristen Yuzchek for this amazing vest. I've been wearing it all weekend. It's
08:05so cozy and I'm loving all your designs you've been making.'"
08:08Yuzchek also auctioned off a version of the vest, with proceeds going towards the National
08:13Breast Cancer Foundation in honor of her mother, who died of the disease.
08:16"'My mom, I just feel like, has just made this like fate for me."
08:21"'She's looking out for you.'
08:22"'Yeah.'"
08:23If there's one person constantly rooting for Kristen Yuzchek to succeed, it's her husband
08:28Kyle Yuzchek. During a locker room interview with The Athletic Reporter, David Lombardi
08:32in January 2024, he shared,
08:34"'She's been grinding for years now and working so hard. I'm so happy to see her get her stuff
08:39out there. Everybody sees it and people recognize that it was hers. Times I'm waking up, three
08:45or four in the morning, and she's not in bed, she's downstairs. She's working.'"
08:49And Kristen is definitely feeling the love. As she gushed to People magazine in February
08:542024,
08:55"'He's just been incredible. I mean, I know this week, month, and year have been equally
08:59stressful for him. So he's just the best partner. I know everyone sees the little glimpses of
09:03him supporting me, but that's not even 5 percent of what makes him the best partner ever.'"
09:09Kristen and Kyle Yuzchek don't have any human children yet, but they are proud parents to
09:13two dogs. Mozzarella and Pierogi are both Samoyeds, and they can regularly be found
09:18on Kristen's social media. They also even have their own Instagram account where they
09:22can be found dressing up for Halloween and scarfing down birthday cake.
09:25The Yuzcheks adopted Mozzarella during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
09:31Since then, they've brought her along to pick out a Christmas tree and on family trips.
09:35In 2023, the couple welcomed Pierogi, and it was cute in its overload when the small
09:39puppy got to meet her big sister.