Check Out Chris Hollis’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Hollis.

Chris, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a 27 years old of Northwest Pasadena. I grew up in Northwest Pasadena which is mainly a Black & Brown community. I was raised in low income, section 8 housing by a single grandmother with my two brothers and my uncle. In total, I have seven siblings but most of us grew up in different households. Growing up, I played Basketball and football and my focus was on being a great athlete. I looked up to Allen Iverson and Ray Lewis.

Growing up in the area I did in Pasadena, I faced a variety of challenges. Being my family situation, my father was murdered when I was nine years old, and my mother went to prison three years later when I was 12 years old. She is currently still in prison. So being that young with no guidance, I found myself in situations that forced me to turn into a man early in life, and I was exposed to a lifestyle that most 13 and 14 years old kids don’t often see, to say the least. I can’t even go into detail on my whole upbringing in this interview. All I can say is that God found me and took me out of a certain lifestyle that I was fully engulfed in. But despite the challenges that I faced growing up. In 2011, I graduated from an independent studies high school and went onto Mt. Sac Junior college to play football and run track, where I graduated with an associates degree in Kinesiology & Wellness in 2015.

Then after that, I went to Grand Valley State University in Michigan that fall on a Track/Football Scholarship. But that situation did not work out for me. So I transferred back to a school in California called Azusa Pacific University in January 2016. Where I played football and ran track. I graduated in December 2017 with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology. Then in March 2018, I competed in my Pro Day to complete my football career, and shortly after I decided to start a new journey in life outside of sports. Then In the summer of 2018, I took a trip to Ghana, West Africa that changed my life and my mindset on how I grew up and my purpose in life. Which initially sparked my vision for my brand/business and my first design which is called “Young Black America”. I officially dropped “Created For Greatness” in June 2020 this year. But I had been working behind the scenes on my brand/business plan since March of 2019. I use to sit in my car writing out ideas and designs in a notebook while listening to music.

Created For Greatness was created by me as a way of telling real-life stories through clothing and other forms of inspiring visual content. Giving people clothes to wear that represent themselves and something that they can wear with pride and that makes a bold statement when people look at them. We aim to shed light on powerful stories of those who have overcome adversity and hardship in life. This brand is for those that have felt like they have no hope and they have been dealt the worst cards in life, those are the people we are here to inspire, the ones that’s been doubted and counted out in life. We are here to motivate people and let them know regardless of any circumstance or situation you may be facing, you can and will overcome it through faith, determination, hard-work, and consistency. My brand is new and something that people will be seeing a lot of in the future to come. Created For Greatness is here for the long term and is focused on longevity and providing a service that changes people’s life in a real way. We will be dropping our fall clothing collection this Fall/Winter in late November and December.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The main struggles have been financial, being I’m doing everything on my own and I’m the complete owner of my business. As well as being able to get the brand of the ground, by obtaining the clothing, production, and marketing, especially during this time where everything is slow due to the coronavirus pandemic. But despite those struggles, everything has been coming together how I planned it. And I’m excited for the future. There’s no way we can achieve greatness without struggle. So I embrace every struggle because there’s a lesson that I’m learning through it all.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Since I graduated from college, I have been working in education. I’m currently a STEAM GRANT COORDINATOR AT PASADENA CITY COLLEGE. I sit on the board of directors for a nonprofit called Impower Youth, where I’m part of the partnerships committee. I’m also on the emerging leader’s board for a well-known nonprofit called “March of Dimes”. As well as that I do personal training, group and private sessions. Where I’m focused on motivating people to achieve their fitness/health goals. So they can become their greatest self. This is apart of my business plan as well. This section is called CFG Training. Which speaks to the fitness side of my brand. What sets me apart from everyone else is that I’m a well-rounded individual. And I can operate in many different lanes. And keep people excited about what’s to come from my brand. And I’m here to create a family and make me people feel apart of a movement that’s bigger than themselves. A lot of brands focus on making money and dope designs. My focus is the people and changing the people’s lives through my art.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I’m sure everything will be more of an E-commerce operation. We are prepared to operate successfully with any changes that may occur. So we are excited regardless of any changes.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @wearecfg