Just call it a ringing endorsement.
Taylor Swift showed up to support boyfriend Travis Kelce at his playoff game in Baltimore Sunday, and accessorized for the occasion with jewelry that paid twinkling tribute to her “guy on the Chiefs.”
Among the many meaningful baubles? A petite EB & Co. ring ($14) inspired by the tight end’s football jersey — and almost certainly gifted to Swift by Travis’ mom, Donna Kelce.
“That’s our theory,” EB & Co. founder and creative director Emily Bordner tells Pvnew Style with a laugh, adding that the Kelce matriarch has been a fan of her small Kansas City business for months.
“Pretty early in the season, we had one of our wholesalers tell us that Donna came into their store and tried to buy a pair of our earrings, but they were sold out,” Bordner recalls.
So she and her team began gifting the mom of two a steady stream of styles, many of which Donna went on to wear to various Chiefs games.
“We know that she loves supporting her boys any way she can, so we ended up sending her any new Kelce stuff we developed,” the designer adds. “We sent her [around] three rings, just a cluster of pieces that were Kelce-themed … and we were hoping she would share them.”
She got her wish. On Sunday, Bordner was watching the playoff game along with much of the rest of America, but didn’t realize Swift was sporting one of her designs until her phone began blowing up.
EB & Co. Kansas City Chiefs #87 Tight End Jersey Ring
“All of our customers and followers were tagging us and sending us articles and pictures, and it just exploded,” she said.
And there’s a detail many viewers at home might’ve missed: The pop queen and the NFL pro’s mom were actually matching on game day.
“Donna was wearing the [jersey-inspired] earrings, which just feels really special … it’s just a really sweet moment between the two of them. They’re both wearing something to support Kelce,” Bordner noted.
“And like, if I wanted to win over the mom of someone I was dating, I would wear what they gifted me!”
EB & Co. Kansas City Chiefs #87 Tight End Jersey Huggie Hoop Earrings
While Swift’s clearly won Donna’s stamp of approval, Bordner says she feels “so lucky” to have earned the singer’s.
“Within the first 12 hours, we had over 500 orders. And I think now, we’re over 1,500 orders,” she tells us, adding that while the “majority” of those orders include Swift’s ring — which is currently available for preorder, with an estimated ship date of early March — customers are buying “anything and everything.”
“It’s just total chaos in the best way. We’re so happy that she’s supporting all these local businesses; it’s made such a big difference,” Bordner says.
EB & Co. Kansas City #87 Tight & Taylor Swift Huggie Hoop Earrings
“I’ve worked so hard, my [company] has been open for 11 years, and this one person wearing this one ring has just fundamentally changed my business. It’s just so powerful.”
And while she waits to see if Swift might wear more of her work come Super Bowl Sunday, Bordner says we might be soon spy her jewelry on yet another member of the Kelce family.
“Jason Kelce’s rep actually asked me to make a Jason jersey(-inspired) version of the earrings for Philadelphia, and I was like, ‘Absolutely, girl, I’ll do whatever they want!'”
