Marie Marquardt’s YA Novel Explores Love in the Time of Immigration

In December 2023, Biles rocked a custom puffer jacket with her husband’s (former Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens) number on it, handmade and shipped by Juszcyzk herself. It’s still a pinch-me moment for the fashion designer. “I’m pretty sure Simone was the first person to ever wear any of my designs. I DM’ed her and was like, ‘Please, let me make you something!’” Juszczyk says in an exclusive interview with Brit + Co. “She is so incredible and so sweet, and she was so great in the process. She trusted me with a ton of creative freedom.”

Like her husband, San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Kristin crushed the 2023 football season. Niners fans have been familiar with her style game for years, but when Taylor Swift sported a custom 87 jacket to Travis Kelce’s game on Jan. 13, Juszczyk’s fashion career skyrocketed into a brand new era.

Juszcyzk’s lifelong love of fashion first manifested itself in 2018. The budding designer founded an online clothing boutique called Origin, which sold everything from knitted sets to hoop earrings to studded jeans. (If 2018 were a brand, it’d be Origin.) “That was where I got my feet wet. I really enjoyed every second of it, but it got to a point where I felt like I lacked the ability to be creative,” Juszczyk reflects. The brand’s Instagram account and website went quiet in late 2021.

But just because Origin shut down doesn’t mean that Juszcyzk’s drive to design did. As she searched for her next venture, she started DIY-ing her own NFL merch to wear to her husband’s games. We’re not talking about screen-printed tees here. Juszcyzk’s rocked up to Levi’s Stadium in custom leather jackets, a jersey reworked into a cropped corset, and a red-hot blazer/skirt combo. Her unique designs caught Biles’s and Swift’s attention, as well as that of Brittany Mahomes, Taylor Lautner, and Olivia Culpo, just to name a few of Juszcyzk’s celebrity clients.

Every piece Juszcyzk designs is completely personalized to its owner. “I always take a look at the person’s Instagram and what they like to wear. I want to make sure I follow their vibe so that they feel confident in my design,” she reveals.

She also considers the weather the piece will be worn in — a lesson she learned the hard way. “When I made that puffer vest for Simone, I didn’t even put two and two together that it was gonna be 30 degrees and snowing. I should have put sleeves on it! I’m still learning,” she says. (Not that Simone minded. On the day of Super Bowl LVIII, the gold medalist tweeted, “I want the 49ers to win just because it’s Kristin Juszczyk’s birthday.”)

Juszcyzk is now an official licensee of the NFL, which means that she’s one step closer to working with her dream clients: the fans. She says, “One-off pieces are obviously not accessible to people, and making them is very time-consuming and labor-intensive. I want my designs to be more accessible to everybody, you know? There’s a huge demand for fresh designs, especially for girls, and I want the fans to have them.”

Before football starts back up in September, Kristin and Kyle have been making the most of the off-season at home with their adorable Samoyeds, Mozzarella and Pierogi. In between competing for Purina treats, Mozzie and Rogi are keeping their mom company as she gathers inspiration for her Fall ‘24 designs. She shares, “I’m so excited to show people some new silhouettes and also to push my boundaries and come up with something new every week.”

As for whether we’re going to see another Simone Biles and KJD collab soon? “Her husband’s on a different team now, so I’ll have to make her something new!” Juszczyk says.

How To End A Love Story follows Helen Zhang and Grant Shepard, who reconnect after a tragic accident 13 years ago changed their lives forever. In honor of Yulin's partnership with Maison Louis Jadot, I sat down to talk about the author, screenwriter, and director's favorite book & wine pairings (like Natalie Sue's I Hope This Finds You Well & Pouilly-Fuissé and Betty Corrello's Summertime Punchline & Bourgogne Blanc). And that includes the drinks her characters would go for.

According to Yulin, Helen would love the Beaujolais-Villages ("She's a little bit formal, she talks about how she feels like she was raised by old Victorian Ghosts"), while Grant would gravitate to the Macon-Villages, a personal favorite of Yulin's.

"My friends came over and we poured it and we were just having our own little wine sampling, which I do recommend," she says. "I feel like it's fun to have two different wines, and instantly you've elevated your gathering."

No dinner party is complete without a charcuterie board, and Yulin's perfect spread includes nuts, meats, and cheeses. "Something with rosemary and salt," she says after thinking for a moment. "I love a truffle nut. It's a good source of flavors and kind of a light protein so it feels kind of healthy. Apricots are great. And then I love a meat spread as well. So any kind of pepperoni, salami. And then yeah, I love any kind of cheese that has a hint of garlic, which I know makes me like less kissable."

In addition to creating the ultimate book and wine list, Yulin has been diving into hobbies that cultivate her creativity. Bridgerton reminded her how much she loves to embroider, while she's also found time to figure skate. She's been revisiting classic novels, old movies, and just "going back to the things that first made me fall in love with romance."

"I started subscribing to magazines because I found that everything that was coming to me was coming to me through an algorithm and I didn't mind that it was curated, but I wanted it to be curated by a human," she continues. "So sometimes when I feel like I've been staring at screens for too long, I shut everything off and then I start painting and I just paint using references from magazines."

While the celebration for her first novel is far from over, Yulin Kuang is also looking to the future — and the two Emily Henry books she's adapting: Beach Read (on which she's writer and director) and People We Meet On Vacation (which she wrote the screenplay for).

"I am pretty focused on Beach Read at the moment," she says. "I truly believe that art belongs to the audience once it's out in the world. And so saying too much, it feels prescriptive, you know? So I hope they enjoy it. I hope that they know that a lot of care is going into the adaptations. I remember what it's like to be watching with anxious hearts about the announcements of all my favorite adaptations. And so that's the main thing. I hope they know that I really, really care."

I got to sit down with Emily Henry ahead of the release of her 2023 hit Happy Place, and was immediately enchanted by the author. "She really is that person," Yulin says about Emily. "She is so warm and charming and wonderful. And she's the dream collaborator when it comes to this because you kind of want somebody who understands the art and understands that the book is a book and the movie is a movie."

"When you transport art into another medium, it has to be able to take root in the soil and bloom into its own thing," she continues. "We're creating different vineyards. And so I think there's some natural anxiety going into that for the first time because it's like, 'Oh, well, is this gonna go well? Will they like what we've done?' And Emily has just been such a fantastic collaborator in that regard."

But Beach Read and People We Meet On Vacation aren't the only projects we'll see from Yulin Kuang in the future. "I do have another indie feature that I'm currently working on," Yulin shares. "It's called Filthy and it's with Adam Scott and Naomi Scott's production company. I'm very excited about that one. It's set in the world of audio porn and it's about a couple that's trying to decide if they're ready to have kids. And then the wife discovers that her husband is secretly an audio porn star, and they have like a sexy little affair."

"In the book space, I've been working on book two," she continues. "What I can say is book two has proved so much harder to write than book one. And I kind of have a mistress book too. I do this thing where, for some reason, I need to have a main project and then eventually a mistress will develop and then I'll kind of work on the two and see which one is gonna actually make it across the finish line. It keeps things exciting for me."

What foods are gentle on your stomach?

Foods like toast, rice, bananas, eggs, applesauce, and oatmeal are known to be easy on your stomach. I had to do a lot of trial and error over the course of a few months, and have cut my diet back to safe foods I know will leave me feeling good.

I rarely drink alcohol (shout out to these delicious mocktail recipes!!!), and I have one coffee every six weeks or so, opting for a daily chai or matcha instead. Sugar's also proven to be a pain point, so I usually stick to dark chocolate. But the most surprising foods I've started to avoid are gluten and oats. All this to say, it's all about what works for you and your lifestyle.

My go-to healthy foods for stomach problems are sweet potatoes, broccoli, Greek yogurt, eggs, chicken sausage or grilled chicken, bell peppers, and rice. I also love the occasional ginger ale.

Sweet Potatoes + Broccoli + Chicken Sausage

I will never go without sweet potatoes, like, ever again. I used to find them disgusting but they have become my saving grace on days my stomach feels awful. Whether I'm making fries, mixing them with other veggies, or turning them into vegan mac and cheese (yes, really), they're sooo versatile. One of my favorite recipes is roasting sweet potatoes and broccoli in the oven (I do 325 degrees for around 20 minutes), then adding in some cooked chicken sausage. I even add some ketchup and mustard on top for a deconstructed hot dog and fries!

​Vegan Mac and Cheese

This has been one of my go-to dishes recently, and I promise it's way easier to make than it sounds. I was inspired by this recipe from @itslivb, but since making it the first time, I've started eyeballing every measurement and adjusting the flavors. As someone who love pasta, this is one comfort food recipe that I can indulge in without feeling sick. All I do is boil cubed sweet potatoes until they're soft, then add them to a blender with nutritional yeast, salt, spices like garlic powder and onion powder, and cashews for a creamy consistency.

Gluten-Free Pasta

As someone whose comfort food is pasta, you can imagine how sad I was when I realized gluten makes me feel awful. I've been on the hunt for the best gluten-free pastas around, and after making some less-than-ideal chickpea pasta recipes, I'm totally obsessed with Trader Joe's rice pasta. Trust me on this. I can't wait to try it in this creamy avocado pasta recipe!

​Grilled Chicken

My taste buds have always loved chicken, and now that I've realized grilled chicken makes me feel so much better than fried chicken, my stomach does too! I always buy a bag of frozen chicken tenders so I can keep them until I'm ready to cook 'em up. After they've defrosted for a couple hours, I use this hack to remove the tendon, and then I'm ready to grill it! I'll eat grilled chicken with literally everything: pasta, sweet potato fries, a bunch of vegetables. I could eat it every day. Here's our ultimate guide toHow To Stop Grilling Dry Chicken For Good.

​Seafood

That being said, when I need to shake it up, salmon, shrimp, and other seafood are also great protein options. I just usually have to eat a little more to make sure I'm full. I'm dying to make These Flavorful Fish Tacos.

​Cooked Veggies

Even though I definitely prefer raw vegetables, ever since I realized cooked veggies are easier to digest, I haven't gone back. Roasting a ton of peppers, sweet potatoes, and broccoli at the top of the week sets me up for a successful — and tummy ache-free — week of meals. This Vegetable Galette is calling my name (with a GF crust, of course).

Greek Yogurt & Strawberries

I have the same breakfast every day: an egg and turkey bacon, either a chai latte or a matcha latte, and Greek yogurt and strawberries. I can't believe I never regularly ate Greek yogurt before, but now that I'm on the train, I'm never getting off. Sometimes when I want a little extra treat I add some chocolate chips, too! This dish helps fill me up without leaving me weighed down.