A Regina-based clothing company is changing the game by using Saskatchewan Roughrider gear to make unique garments.
“Me and You Handmades” founder Hilary De Paz has been sewing for as long as she can remember. Creating the local shop about nine years ago.
“I’ve done every craft under the sun,” she told CTV News. “And I got to the point where the stockpile in my basement got a little much. So I started selling [my garments] to pay for more crafts.”
De Paz’s business has grown over the last many years. She’s even recently moved into a new studio.
But last year, she was struck with a wave of inspiration after seeing Taylor Swift arrive to a Kansas City Chiefs football game in a custom jacket made out of her boyfriend, Travis Kelce’s, jersey.
“The very first time I saw her walking down the tunnel, the first thing that went through my head was, ‘I want to make that. I could totally do that,” De Paz reminisced.
Swift’s custom jacket was tailored by designer Kristen Juszczyk – the wife of San Francisco 49er fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
A post on Kristen’s social media of Swift’s appearance in the jacket has over 41 million views.
The First Piece
De Paz made her first attempt at a custom vest for herself in response to Juszczyk’s design.
“I thought, ‘who best to make one for than my favourite player,” she explained.
Using the jersey of Rider great Bobby Jurasin, she began cutting away.
“Halfway through I just started crying because I was just like, ‘I never knew that I could make things like this,” De Paz said.
The first vest has Jurasin’s large ‘71’ on the chest with his infamous ‘Rising Sun’ bandana lined on the inside and a printed list of the defensive lineman’s accolades in the Green and White.
“This is my favorite player of all time,” De Paz said. “And so I kind of wanted to make a jersey that really represented him.”
Despite making a few mistakes along the way, De Paz has perfected her craft.
She’s made custom vests for the likes of Roughrider Cheer Team coach, Courtney Odelein-Akakpo, and head coach Corey Mace’s wife Petra.
“I make these garments because they make me happy,” De Paz said. “I love seeing people’s reaction. And for me, the biggest reaction is seeing the person I’m giving it to.”
Expanding the Brand
De Paz says she’s made nearly two dozen custom vests. Each takes between five and six hours to tailor.
She even expanded the available styles to windbreakers and larger jackets.
“When I do see it out in public, it’s usually other friends and they’ll send me photos saying, ‘I saw so-and-so wearing [your vest],” the designer said.
In November 2024, Me and You Handmades received official licensing approval from the Canadian Football League to use its member logos and sell it.
Fans from across the league have began reaching out to get their own pieces.
“I take pride in being somebody from Regina, from Saskatchewan, doing this for all of Canada,” De Paz said.
Giving Back
As a woman with a strong background in sports and love for football, De Paz is using her brand to give back to young female athletes.
Five dollars of each vest of jacket is donated to support Girls in the Game, an organization which helps keep girls involved in sport.
“Hearing girls who leave elementary school, or when they leave high school, they’re not in sports anymore because they don’t have the self-esteem anymore,” De Paz explained. “I want to be able to help girls live out and still love sports.”
“There are female football teams, there’s female basketball teams. Sports are for everyone and as long as you can cheer and have fun: anybody can love sports,” she added.
