Kristin Juszczyk Says She 'Didn't Blink Twice' When Asked to Design Surprise Vest for Caitlin Clark (Exclusive)
"I wanted to be able to make a special piece for her to show her how much her fans love her," Kristin Juszczyk tells PEOPLE
Maddie Meyer/Getty ; The Marketing Arm
Caitlin Clark, Kristin Juszczyk's custom vest.With the 2023-2024 NFL season in the books, Kristin Juszczyk, who went viral for the custom game-day ensembles she created for Taylor Swift and many more stars, is shifting her focus to a new arena: basketball.
At the top of her to-do list? Crafting one of her distinctive custom puffer vests for collegiate basketball player Caitlin Clark.
This season, Clark made history as the NCAA Women's Basketball all-time leading scorer and surpassed Taylor Pierce's record for single-season three-pointers when she hit her 155th on Wednesday, according to CNN.
The phenom recently declared for the WNBA draft. She also recently signed on with insurance company State Farm as a spokesperson.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Juszczyk (who's the wife of San Francisco 49ers player Kyle Juszczyk) shares how she partnered with State Farm to make the item that the University of Iowa guard, 22, was surprised with during her college's Senior Day on March 3.
"She's the first collegiate athlete that they've ever signed, woman or man, and it's so amazing that they're uplifting women in sports," Juszczyk, 30, says with a smile during a Zoom interview, continuing, "So when they came to me with this opportunity, I didn't even blink twice, of course. She is just incredible selling out these arenas and breaking all these records."
Juszczyk adds, "I wanted to be able to make a special piece for her to show her how much her fans love her, how much Iowa loves her, and what a trailblazer she is. I think there's just no better time than to honor a woman, and a woman in sports."
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For the piece, Juszczyk incorporated both the athlete's black jersey and white jerseys. On the jacket, she also included the words "NCAA Women's Scoring Leader" and "All-Time Iowa Leader in: Points, Assists, 3PM and FGM." The vest also features the State Farm logo and a red zipper in a nod to the insurance company as well.
On Senior Day, which featured a game against Ohio State, Jake from State Farm (whose real name is Kevin Miles) will be sporting an identical vest that Juszczyk created, too.
"She [didn't] know she's getting it," Juszczyk says of the surprise design. "This is something that I worked with State Farm on. I have a whole design process, so I was sketching out different ideas. I'm really excited for her to see it. I hope she loves it, and I hope Jake loves it too."
The Marketing Arm
Kristin Juszczyk's custom-made vest.Juszczyk says she has more custom creations in the works, including a piece for Ayesha Curry, the wife of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.
"I adore dressing all these amazing people. It's an opportunity that I truly never thought I would have," she says, adding, "but my main focus and my main goal has always been to be able to dress these fans. That's all I've ever wanted. And we're driven and dialed in to try to get something off the ground."
Juszczyk has been creating bespoke 49ers gear for herself for years to wear to her husband's games, but she took her passion to the next level during the 2023-24 NFL season when she launched her Designs By Kristin brand.
On her website's About page, Juszczyk writes that she rediscovered her love of sewing after making Halloween costumes for her and Kyle, which then led to her creating her own NFL gear by "reworking old t-shirts, jerseys, and even footballs into fresh designs."
When Juszczyk started showing off her designs on Instagram, it wasn't long before other NFL wives and girlfriends — including Swift, Simone Biles and Brittany Mahomes — took note.
In December 2023, Biles wore one of her designs while supporting her husband Jonathan Owens, and a month later, Juszczyk dressed Swift and Mahomes in matching Chiefs jackets.
She is now an official licensee of the NFL, which allows her to legally use the league's logos on her designs. Juszczyk opened up to PEOPLE in February about how special the momentum for her fashion career has been after a long time of hearing "no."
"I've been at this for a few years now, and I've been told 'no' many times or that we just don't have the space for that," she said. "This is something that I've been so passionate about. I feel like there's a huge gap in the market, and I have so many designs that I know women want. It's just a matter of being able to get it out there."
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