9 min readJordyn Woods hasn’t been sleeping much lately. Between celebrating the New York Knicks’ championship win on Saturday in San Antonio and doing back-to-back appearances with her fiancé, Karl-Anthony Towns, nearly every day this week, she estimates she’s been getting 45 minutes of sleep each night. But it’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of celebration, she admits. She’ll sleep later.
The grand finale came Thursday morning when Woods joined the Knicks championship parade in downtown Manhattan. Appearing on Towns’s float with other friends and family, she showed her support sartorially in a few customized pieces: a jersey-esque cropped tank top with her man’s number—32—embellished with rhinestones, and white jeans with the phrase “Mrs. Towns” embroidered on the back in navy blue. She topped off the look with white sneakers, a blue Knicks cap, sunglasses—and of course, her “lucky” orange bag from her eponymous line, Woods by Jordyn. According to an Instagram she posted from the day, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdai even got a chance to hold it.
But this may be the last time for a while that we’ll see Woods with her now-famous purse, which officially goes by the Tux Clutch Mini, though fans will be able to see it elsewhere. Woods teases that she’s in conversations with an “iconic” museum about putting it on display for the public. She won’t reveal which one yet (but she did post comments from The Guggenheim on her Instagram Story this week).
On the eve of the parade, Woods walked us through her look for the big day, what’s next for her brand, and how she and Towns are preparing for their wedding.
Can you walk us through your look for the parade?
Comfort is key, because you know what? I’ve never been in a parade float, but from what I’ve seen, everyone’s in T-shirts and comfy clothes. So I’m going to go with a pair of jeans that I got custom-embroidered that say “Mrs. Towns” on the back. And then I have someone making some custom Air Forces, so hopefully I’ll get those in time. If not, I’ll probably just wear other sneakers. And then I’m getting a custom tank top that is also being made as we speak. I actually have the guy downstairs who’s making it. Literally after we get off this call, I have to go try it on with him. Everything is so last-minute.
I have some of the other girls asking me, “So what are we wearing tomorrow? Are we wearing shorts, jeans?” I think everyone has just been on such a high from everything else, we all forgot that we had to get ready for (the parade).
Woods (right) celebrates with Karl-Anthony Towns (center) on their Knicks parade float.
When you say the other girls, are these the fellow WAGs? Are you in a group chat?
We do have a group chat. It’s not that spicy, though. I wish I could tell you there’s crazy tea in there, but not really. Everyone’s super chill. Honestly, there’s no drama.
Is your lucky bag part of your parade outfit?
Yes. That will be the bag’s final press run.
Final?! What’s going to happen to her?
Actually, it’s going to be her final run with me wearing her, but she’s going to make some exciting appearances. She just might be at a museum.
We were talking about this among the ELLE team. We were like, “It belongs in the Met.”
I’m not going to say which, but there’s an iconic museum that we’re in conversation with in New York City that actually wants to highlight the bag and put it in there. So I’m going to be done wearing her for a second, but the world will not be done seeing her.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani holds Woods’ lucky bag.
Woods’ fiancé Karl-Anthony Towns holds up the bag during the parade.
I can’t wait to find out. What’s usually in the bag? What are your essentials?
I’m not going to lie, you can fit so much in that bag. Sometimes I have two cameras, multiple lip glosses, a little perfume roller, hand sanitizer, a portable charger. You name it, it’s in there.
Was there a moment when you realized that it was lucky? When did you start clocking that there was a pattern?
I’m superstitious and once we start winning, I carry the same thing. People were catching onto it with my get-ready-with-me videos. They were like, “I hope you brought the bag.” But it really became a thing when I couldn’t bring the bag into (Madison Square Garden). And that was the only game we lost in 50-plus days. So then the hysteria really grew.
People have been trying to buy it online and it has already sold out on your site. How are you and the brand responding to that?
We’re not sold out, we’re just on preorder. I think the preorder is going to have to be closed soon though, because I don’t know how many bags I can produce that quickly. I don’t want people waiting forever for their bags. But we definitely use a more sustainable approach in manufacturing, just in the sense that it’s faux ostrich (leather). And the price point is affordable. But more importantly, we’re in a made-to-order situation. When you’re starting a brand, it takes time, energy, and resources to make a bunch of units—and you don’t know what the demand is going to be—so I don’t want to be wasteful and waste product. We started minimal and now I’m seeing we’re going to have to start scaling up a lot more. But since it’s made-to-order—it’s not sold out—it’s just going to take some time for people to receive the product, because this is a very unexpected surge in sales.
But that’s super exciting, though.
It is. It’s been the greatest thing, also because it’s been so organic that the internet’s really done all the work for me. Not saying I didn’t put in the groundwork, but everyone’s been so excited about it, and you can’t really pay for excitement.
After the championship win on Saturday, the energy was amazing. When you and KAT found each other on the court, what was the first thing you said to each other?
It still doesn’t feel real, but I was just overcome with emotions. He was saying a lot of things to me and I kind of just was sitting there taking it in. Honestly, right now I can’t even tell you exactly what it was because it’s all a blur, but it’s almost like a sigh of relief, all the emotions pouring out.
It also seems like every time there was a win this Finals season, everyone was so ecstatic together, especially at MSG with all the celebrities there. I saw you and Kylie Jenner hugging at the end of one of the games. How did that feel, to be able to celebrate together?
For me, the energy is just so insane in the room. You’re celebrating with everyone, people you don’t know, people you might know, people you might watch their favorite show and now you guys have this genuine love for the same team. Overall, sports is just such a connective thing. I probably hugged everyone I was sitting next to, whether I knew them or didn’t.
How did it feel to hold the trophy? I saw you got your solo shots.
That thing is heavy. It is so heavy. You can’t be weak to hold the trophy. You gotta be ready to lift it up. The guys make it look so effortless because their hands are so big and they’re holding it up with one hand, but you need two hands.
You’ve shown up for KAT at all the games. How does he show up for you when it comes to your brand and your endeavors?
Oh my gosh, he’s the most supportive person. He was on these shows and organically they brought up the bag, but he’s saying the full brand name. I did The Today Show and it was his day off, and he’s like, “You’ve been supporting me in all of my things, so I want to come support you on yours,” which he totally didn’t have to do. He could have slept in. Every opportunity he gets to really show me love in any capacity, he does, so I do not take that for granted. I know how special and rare that is.
You launched the brand Woods by Jordyn in 2023 with dresses, and then you incorporated accessories in 2025. What do you think is next?
You know, I started with dresses, and ironically, I love watching Love Island and Aniya (was wearing one of the dresses) last night.
Yes, the blue and orange! That was crazy.
I was pretty gagged about that. I was excited, and I’m like, “Maybe that’s a sign.” But I really love the versatility of accessories, handbags, and shoes. That was a lane I grew more passionate about, but I’m not really limiting myself on what that might be. Maybe you’ll see a home brand one of these days. I love making a house a home. The possibilities are really endless, but right now I really do think we found our lane. And people are really loving it and showing so much support, so I’m feeling super inspired. We have some amazing collections coming up. I don’t want to share too much too soon, but it’s kind of symbolizing the era that I’m in. So that will be my next collection, coming within the next few months.
Inclusive sizing also seems to be an important pillar of the brand as well, even in accessories.
Yeah. I’ve always been a curvier girl growing up, so for me it’s important to have representation in the industry. I know that’s something that we don’t have enough of. Even with shoe size, we go up to size 13, but I know most stop at 10 or 11. I could still do more, but that’s a starting point for me.
Karl-Anthony said in a presser that he was going to resume wedding planning post-Finals, because obviously that’s where all the focus has been. Where are you guys in the process right now?
I think the real wedding was the championship right now. Literally, everyone’s like, “So, are you stressed?” I’m like, “You know what? Let’s get through one thing at a time.” After we get through the parade and all of this whirlwind, I can really lock in on that. I’m not too stressed out for some reason, though. I know a lot of people would think I’m crazy for that, but this really was such a treat, seeing him win, so the rest is just extras. I know it’s a wedding and it’s exciting, but it’s just such great vibes.
Woods takes a selfie with Towns mid-parade.
Do you think you’ll have to wear some sort of blue and orange for your wedding?
I’m definitely not going to do that (laughs), but ironically, Karl’s birthstone is orange, it’s topaz, and mine’s blue, sapphire. So there is a way to make an ode to the Knicks, but I think we’ve seen so much blue-and-orange that I think I can do white for my wedding.
Would you design your own bridal look?
I have some bridal stuff I’m looking to do, but when it comes to designing a dress, I’m very collaborative. I feel like it’s not my specialty, so I leave that in an expert’s hands.
People are showing a lot of love to you, Ali Brunson, and Shannon Hart. WAGs used to be treated cruelly in the press, especially during the Victoria Beckham era, but things have changed since then. How do you feel about being a WAG? Does it feel celebratory and empowering? What has your experience been like?
It takes a village. You can do a lot by yourself, but to really take it to new heights, it takes a village. I mean, the man’s carrying the sport and showing up, but part of that is his surroundings. I think a lot of women have to be the one to make a house a home. There’s the opportunity for your partner, spouse, or child to have to move and uproot their life instantly. There’s a bunch of games. They’re on the road for half the year. Most, if not every, major holiday, they have a game or they’re gone.
So as glamorous as the WAG life is, there’s a lot that comes with it. I think we women carry it well, and there are so many different sides to everything. There are a lot of really cool WAGs that are doing a lot of really cool things in their communities and families that also have really cool jobs, brands. I know the world can look at it as one way, but there’s a lot of really, really awesome, multidimensional women out there that are really holding it down in their household and in their community.
Woods and Towns on their Knicks parade float.
Woods’ view of the celebration at City Hall.
How are you planning to rest when this is all over this weekend?
I have no clue. I wish I knew. I’ll probably sleep for a couple days. Or, I don’t know, go on an adventure. I really don’t know yet, but I do have a lot of stuff on the back burner that I’ve been holding off on because of all of this. So as much as I want to just say run around and celebrate, I probably have to also work, plan a wedding, but all good things. All good things.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
