We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Himels and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I grew up in Aurora, Colorado. As a young kid I wrote graffiti was in a few crews I loved skateboarding. Even being young it was sought after to have style or steez with how you dressed and skated. I always loved style, clothing and fashion. It wasn’t until maybe 5 years ago I really got into making my own clothes and building a brand. What I create today are who an what I always wanted to be. But back then I put myself a mold to blend in with my peers. I’m the most comfortable today in my skin now. It took alot of shedding layers of my own ego to become what I am now. I do everything I do in honor of my friends I’ve lost. Alot of us struggled with addiction even young. I’m trying to break those chains an show the world its possible to change yourself and truly love yourself. Things were bad when I was young. For a long time. I’m truly happy and grateful to be doing all this today.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m just one person who creates all these pieces. I do all the sewing screen printing everything myself. I think alot of people really admire that aspect of my brand. Doing all this myself is not easy but I’m so grateful to do it. I struggled with addiction most my life an found my way into recovery and I hit the ground running living out my dreams once I got clean. I decided to pursue making clothing because it’s always been a dream of mine. I wanted to make clothing that I’m proud to wear. Pieces you can’t find in a store or online is what I always aim for. This all started with just hand sewing patches on clothing with dental floss. I had no intention I’d ship pieces around the world or get such a big following online. I recently got a studio in downtown Denver where I do most of my sewing an have clients come by to check out pieces and get fitted in person. To me just having the studio was one of my biggest accomplishments. But by sharing my story of overcoming addiction getting sober I’ve help others find their way to recovery. For me that’s my goal doing this thing. I just want to tell my story with my clothing. Tell the world it’s possible to come from nothing an turn your life around. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to not let social media beat you down. I create my pieces out of love. Whether people buy them or not I’m still going to create. I just love making clothing. It’s the greatest way for me to silence my mind. A lot of my friends have passed away from addiction or mental illness so I strive to just stay on this path for them. It wasn’t in my cards to live this long. So I try an just honor them

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Alex Larsen

Website: https://ilovefromhell.world/

Instagram: From.h6ll.with.love

Youtube: https://youtu.be/-Kxkw4SPf4s

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.