Jordyn Woods Has Plenty To Celebrate

“I’m the real cat,” Jordyn Woods says, looking back on her decade-plus time in the public eye. “I’ve lived seven different lives.” Fans who’ve followed her since her days on Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Life of Kylie can probably count off a few of them: model; reality star and professional bestie; entrepreneur; a brief tabloid subject; a face of body positivity. “I think I was forced to grow up really young, which is fine,” says Woods, who was also grieving the loss of her father in 2017. “I am in this position for a reason. But I was definitely living an adult life at a young age.”

This time, she’s in the zeitgeist on her own terms, as a recent handbag icon and one half of a year-defining power couple. Her fiancé, Karl-Anthony Towns (the real KAT), helped lead the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship win in more than 50 years, a playoff run that saw both their stars rise. Fans flocked to Woods’ intimate social media portrayals of life on the sidelines, from joining the 7-footer on the road to putting together her courtside ’fits. After she started carrying a bright orange clutch, from her own label Woods by Jordyn, fans jumped aboard, dubbing it the “lucky bag” and embracing it as the team’s good luck talisman. Not only has Towns himself credited it with the win, but the $125 “Tux Clutch Mini” was also recently on display at the Guggenheim. “The bag was pretty epic, because that was the most organic marketing I could have ever had. I couldn’t even pay for marketing like that, it just happened,” she tells me. “I don’t think I’ve really processed how crazy that whole thing is.”

Even when discussing her biggest pinch-me moments, Woods is poised and serene. At only 28, she’s lived enough life to not be surprised by anything: “Everything feels so big when you’re young,” she says. “And then when you get older, it’s like the things that you thought you would care about you don’t care about at all.”

Ahead, Woods opens up about what she’s learned from being in the spotlight, why she won’t catch the Ozempic “bug,” what makes her and Towns’ relationship work, and how exactly you can get your hands on your own lucky bag.

I’d imagine you’re still coming down from the championship. Besides your bag going viral, do you have a favorite moment from the experience?

Winning was exciting. The parade was one of the most insane things, seeing all the people in the streets. This is weird to say, but you know the movie Inside Out when something becomes a core memory? It was one of those. I just kept crying. I’m like, “How did you guys do this?”

But what felt the most impactful to me was not, like, you guys got a trophy. I’ve had so many people say things like, “I got to experience that with my dad. This was always a dream of ours.” It’s more for everyone that it healed. It brought people together in such a genuine way. Even seeing some of the older guys who are [Knicks] alumni — they never got a ring, and now they felt like they got a ring through that moment. It was crazy. I think for the next two years, I’m going to think it’s not real. New York is the greatest city in the country right now.

What sort of spectator are you? Are you nervous or locked in or…?

I’m so calm, cool, and collected. I’m naturally a calm person, but when things get super crazy, I get even more calm. Everyone’s like, “How are you so chill right now?” And I’m like, “Honestly, when I’m freaking out, I can’t be too crazy.” I’m locked in. I can tell you everything that’s going on.

I want to hear all about the bag. How did the bag happen?

I had this clutch for my brand. We made it in a couple different colors, but I really wanted an orange and a blue version of it. I started wearing it and became really superstitious during the playoffs. I started making TikToks, and my “Get Ready With Me” [videos were] part of my superstitious routine. And everyone started saying, “Where’s the bag? Where’s the bag?” So then I felt like a responsibility to everyone to keep bringing the bag.

Fast forward to when Trump came to the game and I couldn’t bring the bag [because only clear bags were allowed], and it’s the only game they lost. And it really caused hysteria. Then I was able to bring it to the next one — we won. I don’t like to take credit for the Knicks team. They’re super talented, and they all work so hard to be there. But it was really fun how many people genuinely felt like we won because of this bag.

“The same way the bag has been so organic, our relationship is so organic.”

Do you have multiple, or just one?

I had just one. It was the same bag. Now that we’re starting to get a little bit more in production, I have a few.

Are you ramping up production?

We have a made-to-order model because we’ve always pushed the more sustainable approach. There is no way we can produce so many bags in the timeline that we had. So, it’s made-to-order, and from there we’ll kind of see which direction we want to go.

In his interviews, your fiancé always shouts out the bag and really builds you up. What’s it like to have so much support from him?

He’s a very selfless person. He’s doing the full Woods by Jordyn credit. He’s not like, “Oh, Jordyn’s bag.” He’s pushing [the brand] every moment that he can. I’m so grateful. I don’t like attention that much. I get a little bit shy when he does that, but it is so amazing to have someone that’s so supportive. Every moment, he’s my biggest advocate.

How did you meet?

We met one summer through mutual friends, and we became best friends over two and a half years. Adversity brought us together. My dad passed away when I was 19, and then his mom got sick and she passed very suddenly. It went from friendship to relationship because we’re able to understand what that feels like. You can be there for someone in a different way. The same way the bag has been so organic, our relationship is so organic. Now it’s been six years, and we’re getting married.

Did you have any input on the ring?

Zero. I was super surprised. I was happy. I never thought [a proposal] was going to happen during the season. I thought it would be a summer thing, but he gave me a ring — and then he got one, so it’s a good omen.

Have you started the wedding planning yet?

I’m working on it. Life’s been very insane right now. I’m trying to figure out what I’m wearing, all of that. I don’t have anything finalized. We are getting married, I can say that, but no details.

You mentioned being shy, but you’ve been in the public eye for a long time. Is this what you pictured doing when you were younger?

No, not really. My friends and I were heavily on social media when it first came out. We were like 13. We were some of the first people on Instagram. But I actually wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to go to Stanford. My email was Stanford.14@yahoo.com. I thought I was going to college and be a doctor.

You still can!

I can. You’re absolutely right. Am I going to? No — because after losing parents and being in hospitals, I don’t think I have the heart to actually be in that field.

So then you were scouted to be a model.

Yeah. It was fun. I moved to New York, and it was a completely different experience from living in New York now. I was in model apartments, carrying these heavy bags up like six floors by myself. I’m so grateful for that experience because it really makes me appreciate where I’m at today.

“Healing was definitely a journey. It wasn’t linear. It wasn’t like you wake up and everything’s fine.”

You later moved back to Los Angeles and appeared on Life of Kylie in 2017. Did you understand what you were getting into by entering the reality TV world?

I think what’s normal to me is not normal [for other people], but it just felt like part of my life. I never really looked at it like, “Oh my gosh, I’m going to be on reality TV, it’s so crazy.” We always had cameras around, whether that was our own cameras, filming for videos on the internet, or making our own videos. It wasn’t YouTube, just like iMovie videos: I would edit my brothers, like, “OK, stand right there! We’re going to make a music video! We’re going to re-create Camp Rock! We’re going to do this!” So having a camera felt pretty normal to me.

Now looking back at it, I have a bit of a jaded perception. It was so normalized. I have to realize sometimes that my life wasn’t that normal. I mean, reality TV is tricky. It’s hard. There’s so much content now. The only reality show I really watch is Love Island.

You also weathered a ton of tabloid scrutiny at a very young age. If you could go back to 2019, what would you tell your younger self? Or what would you tell younger women today going through a hard time?

When you’re young, you feel like everything feels so big. Your friend not inviting you to the party doesn’t really matter. But when you’re that age, that’s the biggest thing. And now that we have social media and we have people that put it on Snapchat and throw it in your face that you’re not invited — it’s just a different generation.

I would tell my younger self: “Your individuality is your greatest gift. You’re here for a reason, and life is happening for you, not to you.” Mindset is everything, and we can think ourselves out of doing anything. Try to keep strong people around you. Journal — I really like journaling. It got me through. Working out, creating healthy habits. Ultimately, do something to make yourself better every single day. If you feel good and you’re in a healthy mindset, you can do that. Life is hard for a lot of people. We’re all dealing with something.

“We were taking some steps forward, and now I think in the Ozempic era we’re taking a few steps back. Everyone’s skinny now. The bug hasn’t caught me yet.”

I remember watching your Red Table Talk interview and thinking you were very self-possessed and poised for someone so young. How do you think that you were able to have strength in that moment?

It was a very serious situation. I do think that matured me a lot. But I really don’t know how I was able to be so poised. Just knowing who I am and knowing my intentions in life and everything I do, it also allows me to walk with my head high and just stay true to who I am.

I feel like I’ve always been the same person ever since I was a kid. I’ve always been an old soul. Losing my father kind of made me change a bit and lose who I was for a bit because I was focused on the wrong things. But having time to sit with myself and go through all of that helped me heal parts of myself that I didn’t know were so broken and get me to where I’m meant to be. It was definitely a journey. It wasn’t linear. It wasn’t like you wake up and everything’s fine. It’s a lot of healing.

After the immediate dust had settled, how did you decide what to do next?

Just getting out of bed every day. Honestly, I wasn’t really worried about my career or anything. I was more worried about my mental health and being OK and my family. I’m all about my family and my friends. I felt a little guilty. But I really wasn’t worried about anything other than just literally getting myself together, my mental health, and everything else. During that time my priorities were like, “How can I be a better person for myself or my family?”

You’ve been an advocate for size inclusivity through your modeling work and your brand. Why is that important to you?

Yeah. We were taking some steps forward, and now I think in the Ozempic era we’re taking a few steps back. Everyone’s skinny now. The bug hasn’t caught me yet.

Is it harder to be an advocate in the Ozempic era?

It’s not hard for me. My weight’s going to fluctuate. I’m going to be skinnier sometimes. I’m human.

“New York is the greatest city in the country right now.”

You’ve had so many different entrepreneurial journeys, and obviously you have this huge social media platform as well. At this stage in your life, what is the thing you’re most excited about career-wise? What do you want your public platform to be?

I always feel that my purpose here is to help people, whether that’s to feel more confident or create something impactful. Growing up, I didn’t really have a role model. When you’d watch TV or look in magazines, I never felt like, “Oh, this person is an attainable goal.” I feel like my purpose is a lot bigger than even I am. I think my social media looks one way, but how I actually am is completely different.

I want to connect with people with my authentic self and do things in the community. There’s a lot of bigger ideas that I have. Even though I’m a very day-to-day person, I’m hoping when I look back five years from now, I can be like, “Wow, you really did make a difference in the community.” For me, it’s not really about having the nicest thing. It’s more about how I make people feel and what I did while I’m here.

Top image credit: Leak NYC bodysuit; Balenciaga jeans; Alexis Bittar jewelry; Off-White sunglasses.