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Kristin Juszczyk on Designing for the WNBA: Total ‘Honor’ and ‘Just the Beginning’

The Off Season co-founder talks about her Bay Area pride and why this moment in women’s sports is so much bigger than fashion.

Ananya Panchal

Kristin Juszczyk
Kristin Juszczyk / Gilbert Flores/Getty Images

Kristin Juszczyk is no stranger to bold moves. Still, her debut WNBA collection marked something even bigger: a cultural shift. The WNBA playoffs are heating up—and so is fanwear.

As the Aces, Fever, Mercury and Lynx battle it out in the semifinals, the Off Season co-founder is reflecting on a milestone drop that launched earlier this month: her brand’s first-ever WNBA collection.

And according to her, “It’s just the beginning.”

A drop built on style, substance—and serious support

The collection debuted Sept. 4 with six fashion-forward styles for five teams: the Golden State Valkyries, Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty and a league-wide WNBA capsule. Think heavyweight fleece joggers and hoodies, utility-inspired cargo shorts with magnetic closures, a boned lace-up corset and oversized mixed-media tees. It‘s elevated, sporty, intentional and crafted for the people who’ve been overlooked in fanwear for too long.

“We really wanted to bring the elements that we’re known for in our company, which is quality and style,” Juszczyk tells SI Swimsuit during an exclusive interview at Verizon’s Small Business Training Camp in San Francisco. “I mean, the second you feel these pieces, it is just like top-notch. It’s butter. And it’s such, like, thick fabric that will last in your closet for decades—we can get passed down.”

Since its buzzy launch in January 2025, Off Season has dropped five collections:

  • Its inaugural NFL outerwear line: puffers, vests and coats for the 49ers, Eagles, Bills, Lions and Chiefs
  • A ready-to-wear street-style expansion: joggers, fleece corsets and graphic tees
  • The WNBA collection
  • A second wave of NFL ready-to-wear pieces: baby tees, shrugs, track pants
  • An expanded release of its original outerwear for seven more NFL teams

“We wanted to still keep the integrity of Off Season while keeping the design aesthetic for basketball and for women,” the New York native, who now lives in San Jose, Calif., explains of the WNBA drop.

Shop now at offseasonbrand.com.

Designing with women in mind

In a fanwear economy that still skews male, Off Season stands out. It‘s one of the few labels that is very intentional about creating unisex pieces, as well as super cool “sporty-feminine” items

“Before we even built Off Season, I was designing for me,” she shares. “And I think it’s so important as a founder, as a designer, to want to wear the pieces that you create. So I am selfish, and I am still kind of designing for me when it comes to Off Season... every single piece in the collection I would buy and I would wear in a heartbeat.”

Kyle Juszczyk, Kristin Juszczyk, Claire Kittle and George Kittle
Kyle Juszczyk, Kristin Juszczyk, Claire Kittle and George Kittle / Noah Graham/Getty Images

As a lifelong fan herself, Juszczyk, who is married to 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, keeps her eye on the crowd—she’s also always open to constructive criticism, from consumers, cofounder Emma Grede, fellow WAGS and her NFL husband. “I go to every single one of my husband’s games,” she shares. “So I’m always looking around, seeing what people are wearing and what maybe people aren’t wearing that I think there’s an opportunity for.”

Bay Area pride and the Valkyries effect

The Juszczyks have lived in the Bay for nearly a decade, and when the Golden State Valkyries launched their inaugural season, they were all in.

“It was so electric,” Juszczyk recalls of the team’s home opener in mid-May. “It felt like the NBA Finals.”

She and Kyle—alongside George and Claire Kittle—also attended one of the final games of the regular season, repping Valkyries Off Season merch courtside. “There was no dip in energy. It was so much fun,” she adds. “I mean, just to see these women get the appreciation that they deserve is everything.”

Shortly after that game at Chase Center—affectionately dubbed “Ballhalla”—the Valkyries made history, clinching a playoff berth in their debut season.

Read. Valkyries Become First WNBA Expansion Team to Land Playoffs Spot in Debut Year. Valkyries Become First WNBA Expansion Team to Land Playoffs Spot in Debut Year. dark

That momentum carried into Off Season’s WNBA campaign, which starred professional hooper and model Kysre Gondrezick and celebrated not just style, but cultural significance.

Kysre Gondrezick in Off Season
Kysre Gondrezick / Courtesy of Off Season

“To just have a little piece of that and to be part of the story, it’s just such an honor for me,” Juszczyk says. “It’s not a moment—it’s a movement.”

More Kristin Juszczyk:

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