May 8, 2017

Meet Sam Castro of Freedom Reigns in Downtown Los Angeles

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Castro.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started Freedom Reigns with my partner and husband, Curtis Stallard, in 2009. The inspiration for us was to create a company which would reflect both of us and our beliefs. I am originally from Mexico and came to the United States to leave oppression and have my freedom. So, the name FREEDOM was a natural, then REIGNS came about because it is what we want freedom to do, reign everywhere for everybody. Especially now, we are living in a very strange time and freedom should mean more to people than ever…Our slogan for is summer is, STAND UP, COMMIT to FREEDOM…which we hope everyone will embrace.

Our esthetics drive us to always think outside the box and strive to bring to our loyal customer base the very best quality and fabrics that we can. All our clothing is manufactured in Downtown Los Angeles and I believe we are one of the few Men’s clothing manufactures loyal to the labor force of California. Certainly, it is tempting to manufacture outside the US, but this is something we will never consider.

Our campaign photoshoots and videos always reflect our feelings at the time, sometimes fun and light and other times stronger and more serious. Currently with our Stand Up, Commit to Freedom campaign photoshoot we are expressing ourselves through our very creative photographer by creating a very unique conception of our clothing being “exploded” off our model’s bodies. This to us represents pure power and freedom… however there is always an athletic, fashion forward vibe giving our customers complete freedom to express who they are.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all…LOL!

From day one we have been learning, neither one of us has a clothing background, so it has been a learning experience all along the way.

In the beginning there where fit and quality control issues, missed production store ship dates, trade show drama, disastrous photoshoots and many promises that were not kept by our suppliers…but that is the nature of the business. We never expected it to be easy…and it hasn’t been, but it is exciting.

Now things are easier and simplified…we are running like a well-oiled machine downtown and our Instagram has exploding to over 80K, we are looking forward to that 100K milestone soon. We both continue to love what we do and will continue as long as our faithful FREEDOM REIGNERS support us.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am the primary Designer, choosing the style, colors and fabrics for each season. We specialize in super comfortable athletic wear and underwear. I think that we both are most proud of the fact that we built a strong company from literally nothing but ideas and fabric, which stands for something bigger than either…personal FREEDOM. We have many followers that are young and I hope that these young guys feel strong and empowered by wearing our clothing…that they stand strong for themselves and their beliefs, as we do.

Finally, I would say what sets us apart from others is our attention to detail, construction quality and unique sport fabrics.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is the birthplace of so many things in the creative arts. Angelinos are not afraid to express who they are and what they believe in. I can’t think of a better place to start a business…We do an insane amount of travel, both for business and pleasure, our travels have taken us around this beautiful world, however, we are very proud to call Los Angeles our home and landing at LAX is always gives us a warm feeling of being home.

Contact Info: