Buzzworthy | Community 3 NFL, Fanatics Bring ‘Off Season’ Fashion Into Play The NFL, collaborating with designer Kristin Juszczyk, entrepreneur Emma Grede and sports merchandise provider Fanatics, launched the luxury fashion brand Off Season, redefining the intersections of football and style for fans. The debut collection features bold unisex outerwear inspired by five NFL teams, including the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills. The collection features puffer vests, puffer jackets and long coats highlighting NFL players from each team due to a licensing agreement with the NFL Players Association. A self-taught designer who captured national attention with her bold game day looks, Juszczyk initially outfitted herself and others for San Francisco 49ers games, including her husband, fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Her designs, worn by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Gwen Stefani and Simone Biles, blend high-fashion aesthetics with team-centric details and premium craftsmanship. “Off Season marks a significant evolution in our licensed merchandise, transforming one individual’s fandominspired designs into one of the NFL’s most sought-after collaborations,” says Xaimara Coss, NFL’s director of licensing. “Fashion has increasingly become an integral part of game day culture, allowing us to collaborate with a roster of brands to deliver stylish and distinctive apparel to fans.” Johnnie Walker launched a limited-edition Black Label bottle with numbers ranging from 001 to 456, the number of players featured in the game. The scotch whisky brand took it one step further,r using both digital and conventional printing technologies to make the collaborative logo even more unique. Crocs unveiled a new Squid Game-inspired clog, decked out in six exclusive Jibbitz charms. The customizable shoe charms feature elements from the show, like the masked soldiers and the all-important marble. The shoe even has a zipper graphic, mirroring the players’ uniforms from the show. 4 Texas Mom’s Clever Merch Exposes School District Drama A mother and graphic designer from Fort Worth, Texas, created merchandise to help students in need pay for their school lunches after a proposed plan to split the local school district. During a spate of snow days, Michelle Gibson designed T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs and caps with logos and sayings to promote the nonexistent Alliance school district. The proposed plan calls for the Keller school district to split along the Union Pacific tracks that run between Fort Worth and Keller. The schools on the Fort Worth side would become part of the new school district, while the remaining institutions in Keller, Southlake and Colleyville would be the Keller schools. The new district hasn’t been named, but some parents say it would be called Alliance. Gibson’s branded “Alliance” collection is available on her Etsy store, Hometown Howdy. Items include “cup of rebellion” T-shirts and sweatshirts that say “Right side of the tracks.” So far, Gibson has received several hundred orders and raised over $1,000 via a fund to help students in the Keller school district who need assistance to purchase school lunches. PPAI • MARCH 2025 • 81
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