It was a fun project at first. a white bodysuit with the initials and number of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning printed on it.
It was made by Taylor Damron for her cousin Stephanie Niles, Browning’s girlfriend, to wear to the Cleveland Browns game on January 7. Then the outfit became very popular.
According to 29-year-old Damron, “I woke up the next day and the world had kind of fallen in my lap.”
One example of how women’s fan gear has gained attention is the rise in popularity of Damron’s design on the internet. A few days later, Taylor Swift wore a red puffer jacket featuring the number of her boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, during his matchup with the Miami Dolphins. Kristin Juszczyk, the designer of that jacket, would land an NFL licensing deal in less than a month.
These incredible success stories have demonstrated the strength of the market for fashion-forward, fan-culture-infused women’s sportswear. They have also brought attention to the difficulty smaller, independent creators face in breaking into the market, particularly Black designers who, two decades ago, popularized and innovated womenswear through sportswear.
Before Juszczyk sent Swift and Mahomes jackets for the Jan. 13 game, she had about 100,000 followers, according to Social Blade. Within a month, she had more than 1 million.
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