DENVER — As Denver Broncos fans flock to team stores to get gear for this weekends AFC Championship game, there’s a football-shaped accessory designed by Kayla Jones, the wife of Broncos Defensive Lineman D.J. Jones, that’s garnering nationwide attention on social media.
The Kickoff Collection is the debut line from Women With Ballz, Jones' fashion brand, and features purses made from authentic footballs.
“Women with Ballz was inspired by a moment of necessity," Jones explained. "It was coming up on a preseason game, I had a clear purse. It was damaged, and I needed something quick and fast, so I got pretty crafty. And with footballs lying all around our house, I saw this one smaller ball, and I thought, 'What would happen if I cut it open?' So, I did just that, added a zipper and a handle. Later, I had a purse for the game, and that moment really sparked Women with Ballz."
Jones said as the purses have grown in popularity it’s been great to see fans enjoying her designs.
“Being in the stadiums and seeing women just walking and toting their purses as if they were a badge of honor — you know, there was this one moment where I saw this one lady, and she didn't know me from a can of paint, and she was toting her bag, and just to see the confidence that exuded from her, it just made me really proud to know that I had something to do with that,” Jones said.
With the rise of NFL wives and girlfriends creating fashion geared toward women fans, Jones said it’s powerful to see NFL fashions expand and evolve.
“For a long time, I felt like fan gear for women was sometimes deemed as an afterthought, and now I'm glad it's a part of the conversation, and I feel like Women with Ballz is able to bridge that gap for women that want to show up in fandom, but also do that in style,” Jones said.
Jones said her husband and daughter have also been very supportive of her fashion brand.
“She'll walk around the house and she'll chant, W-W-B, W-W-B. And it's so funny, because to see her watching me and building something from the ground up is very meaningful, and so I can leave behind the legacy for her, and hopefully she'll follow in my footsteps,” Jones said. “(D.J.) loves it. He's my biggest cheerleader. I like to think that I'm his biggest cheerleader, but he's definitely mine, and his support has been like no other."
Jones said Women with Ballz is for the women that want to show up and support their favorite team or their favorite player and do so in style.
