When it comes to picking out clothes for himself, Jason Kelce prefers simplicity and practicality.
“I don’t want to offend anybody, I never understood the reason that somebody would want to wear Gucci, or some of these high-end brands,” Kelce, 37, shared in a profile for The New York Times published on Thursday, April 24. “It’s never appealed to me.”
Instead, “I would much rather wear something that symbolized a blue-collar worker as opposed to a suit,” the retired NFL star stated.
Known for poking fun at his brother, Travis Kelce, Jason’s Gucci comments could be a fun jab at the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s penchant for wearing designer brands on and off the field. He memorably sported a head-to-toe Gucci look while attending the US Open with his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, in September 2024. Travis, 35, paired a white Gucci polo shirt with a matching cardigan and shorts, as well as wore a Gucci striped bucket hat.
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“Had the old country club look going with the cardigan and button-up, and hat to match,” Travis joked of his look on an episode of his and Jason’s “New Heights” podcast that same month. “And then I had the [Mr.] Magoo mustache. The bucket hat with the mustache is very Magoo-ish. I was a huge Magoo fan growing up,” he added, referring to the cartoon character, who does not have a mustache.
While Swift, 35, wore a red-and-white checkered Reformation dress to the sporting event, she switched into a Gucci look of her own for a post-US Open date night with Travis. For their New York City dinner outing, Swift wore a tan patterned Gucci minidress, a long brown coat and black heels.
Swift sported Gucci again while attending a Grammys afterparty earlier this year. She followed up her sparkly red carpet dress by Vivienne Westwood with an equally dazzling silver Gucci gown in February afterparty Instagram pics shared by Janelle Monáe’s guitarist, Kellindo Parker.
Jason, for his part, is known to dress up from time to time, often sporting suits for his hosting gigs on Monday Night Countdown. However, his preference for effortless pieces inspired him to launch his Underdog Apparel clothing brand in 2022. Based and operated in the U.S., the company collaborates with brands such as American Giant and Sandlot Goods to create high-quality clothes.
“I grew up going into steel mills with my father,” Jason told the NYT on Thursday. “So, the concept of American workers making things was something that was ingrained early. And I just always gravitated toward it.”
All of Underdog Apparel’s proceeds go to the Be Philly Foundation, a nonprofit that helps support underrepresented kids across Philadelphia. “I was trying to come up with, ‘What’s a way that we can celebrate Philadelphia?” Jason stated. “And I love wearing shirts that represent me and everything that I believe in.”
The company’s latest collaboration with American Giant includes a green T-shirt, an apparent nod to Jason’s time playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. “Philadelphia bleeds green,” he quipped. “If we didn’t have a green short, it would have felt like malpractice.”
