This Philly woman's handsewn corsets are a hit with Eagles fans
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Photos: Courtesy of Michele DeMatteo
Eagles fan Michele DeMatteo stitched an A.J. Brown jersey into a corset — and the internet's been begging for one ever since.
Why it matters: Since posting her handsewn creation to social media last summer, the 39-year-old has been inundated with requests to make pieces for women across the Philly region, including WAGs of current and former Eagles players.
State of play: DeMatteo has already cranked out dozens of corsets for Eagles fans — Jalen Hurts' No. 1 jersey is the most requested — including custom ones for Taylor Driscoll, the wife of Eagles offensive lineman Jack Driscoll.
- And she's got more than 20 currently on back order.
The intrigue: She's even worked up new black-and-gold threads for Jennifer Slay, the wife of former Eagles cornerback Darius Slay, now with the Steelers.
How it started: DeMatteo tells Axios she's been putting together fashion statements since the first time she sauntered into a kindergarten classroom.
- It started with her first-day-of-school threads and evolved into a post-college job in the corporate fashion world, focused on bridal collections.
- Committed to the side hustle, she works on her sewing on weekends and early mornings before work.
Then tragedy struck a few years ago, when DeMatteo lost her father to pancreatic cancer. She was devastated and lost the will to sew — but it returned.
- DeMatteo eventually switched to a job in liquor packaging that gave her more free time to create. Then the Eagles went on their Super Bowl run.
- That's when she says the requests really "blew up."
The big picture: Fashion and America's game are intertwined like the laces on a football.
- As Hall of Fame cornerback Deion "Primetime" Sanders once said, "Look good, feel good. Feel good, play good. Play good, they pay good."
- Social media has supercharged that mantra. Every game day, cameras capture players strutting into stadiums wearing their Sunday best. And fans show out too.
All of DeMatteo's sales are made through Instagram, where she posts her latest creations. Custom corsets range from $130 to $250.
The bottom line: Look good, feel good. Feel good, sew good. Sew good, they pay good.
- "I would love to do this as a full-time job," DeMatteo says.