Last year her creation went to Super Bowl, this year Monica Blakely is going

COLUMBIA, Md. (DC News Now) — Last year, we introduced you to Gaithersburg native Monica Blakely, when Jason and Travis Kelce’s mother Donna Kelce, wore Blakely’s famous creation of a split Eagles/Chiefs jacket and shoes to the Super Bowl.

“It’s kind of like we built our own rocket ship,” Blakely said Tuesday. “Every year for the past ten years, is you know building this rocket ship, and it finally took off. And everybody else saw this rocket ship, so it’s been amazing.”

Blakely’s business “Passion for Ezra” is the rocket ship, and she’s not taking it to the moon, but to the Super Bowl.

Blakely was named the Washington Commanders fan of the year and she is a finalist for the National Football League’s fan of the year. Her and husband Taylor Blakely are heading to Las Vegas on Wednesday. Blakely will be in the NFL spotlight at the NFL honors ceremony.

“When we hit the red carpet for the NFL honors,” Blakely said. “Everybody keep an eye out, because it’s going to be awesome.”

Growing up in Montgomery County, Blakely watched the Washington football franchise’s games with her father, who himself was a super fan of the team. Blakely has carried on that fandom now to her daughter Ezra, the inspiration for her successful business.

“We’re dressed head to toe in Commanders. Doesn’t matter what the record is, doesn’t matter who the coach is, doesn’t matter if the owners change or anything,” Blakely said. “The whole point is we will always represent that team to the highest.

Representing the Commanders and football fans everywhere, it has been a special year for Blakely. Last spring, she got to see her creations for Donna Kelce displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Since Passion for Ezra’s big take off last year, Blakely has made gear for fans of many other team’s, even fans of the rival Dallas Cowboys. She’s also developed a stronger relationship with the Commanders franchise since Josh Harris and his ownership group took over and has made customized gear for many fans, player’s wives and the team’s entertainment group the Command Force.

“My favorite thing is to see our clients wear our stuff and be so excited when they open it and this is the same thing I kind of echoed a year ago,” Blakely said. “I want everyone to have that experience. I want the mom next door, when she has two kids playing on the high school football team, I want her to have that feeling. I want a celebrity wearing it to have that feeling.”

Through her customer’s experiences, and now her own too, Blakely is living her dream. The successful entrepreneur and die-hard football fan is ready to take it all in at the Super Bowl on Sunday.

“Last year I sat and I cried really hard when everything happened, because hard work does pay off,” Blakely told DC News Now. “But this is more of an enjoyable sit back and relax and just watch it and take it all in moment by moment, kind of like how we have been for the past year.”

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