Betsey Johnson Reveals the Inspiration Behind Her Bespoke Football for Charity
The designer footballs will be auctioned for charity through Feb. 14.
— -- Betsey Johnson is one of several designers who created one-of-a-kind footballs to celebrate Super Bowl 50.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America teamed up with the NFL and asked designers, such as Johnson, Kenneth Cole, Rachel Roy and Nicole Miller, to design bespoke footballs -- 50 in total -- to be auctioned on the NFL Auction website through Feb. 14 to benefit the NFL Foundation.
It's not the first time the cartwheeling designer has joined forces with the National Football League. Two years ago, Johnson designed a helmet for Super Bowl 48.
Johnson said she happily agreed to volunteer her talents.
"It's that creative once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where you get the chance to fly," she told ABC News. "It's like doing a dress, but instead of dressing women, you dress a football with an idea. It's very up my visual alley. That's what designers do."
The sport is very close to her heart, Johnson explained.
"I was a cheerleader for 9 years and co-captain at Syracuse [University] so I feel for the players," she said. "I was right down there on the field with them so I've always felt for football players. And it just felt like a great big thank you for my cheerleader years in high school and college."
Johnson said her ball's design is inspired by the marriage of NFL player Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen. The two wed in 2009 and have two children together. The ball features two golden hands with red fingernails surrounding the football.
"I designed my ball with the idea that Gisele was holding up Tom Brady's ball," the 73-year-old designer said.
It's also outfitted with gold rosettes.
"I thought [the ball] had to be all gold so I walked the Garment Center streets [in New York City] to find gold," Johnson added. "[It's] real feminine, sexy, and it all came together as an idea."
The starting price for Johnson's designer football is currently $500.
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