Football and fashion a winning combination
Former Burbank teammates create clothing, teams
Above the grinding and hissing screen-printing machinery of the Hellstar clothing factory is a conference-spacelike room.
Teddy bears the size of an actual bear cub stitched out of Hellstar-logoed fabric glance at a long table out of the corner of their eyes. On that table are two gold trophies, reminiscent of the NFL’s Lombardi Trophy.
One idea that produced five youth football teams was born in this room.
“There were a couple times when we were like, are we crazy for doing this? Because you don’t realize how much work it is to be responsible for a hundred kids,” Hellstar co-founder Sean “Seanie” Holland said.
Hellstar is an independent clothing brand based in Los Angeles that has rapidly become popular in the sports world, including the NFL. Former UCLA and current Cleveland Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has worn the brand to games and Rams receiver Puka Nacua has been spotted wearing it at a press conference — just for two examples.
Hellstar Sports was announced in early January after a merger with a previously existing organization, Hitlist Sports, making it the first series of sports teams successfully launched by a fashion brand. There are five 7-on-7 football teams that range from 10 years old to high school juniors that compete on a national circuit.
HUNTINGTON PARK » Rooted in Burbank football
Players from around the country can be part of Hellstar Sports, but Holland, fellow co-owner Joseph “Juice” Pendleton and coach Raul Ochoa estimate about 80% of their players are from L.A. County.
They are all from the area — Burbank High School, specifically. Holland and Pendleton played for the Bulldogs as teenagers and Ochoa served as a team manager, since leukemia prevented him from playing.
“We were football fans almost before clothes,” Pendleton said.
Their interest in fashion led them to camp out on Fairfax Avenue to get the latest releases from streetwear brands like The Hundreds, Diamond Supply Co. and Supreme. Hellstar Sports combines their personal experiences in football and fashion.
“It was kind of putting ourselves back in that mindset,” Holland said. “Imagine if when we were in high school, Supreme had a football team you could go play on.”
Fortunately for Holland, teenagers still think like that. Social media has brought the Hellstar brand exposure and helped it gain traction with young streetwear enthusiasts. Now, standout athletes of all ages are clamoring not just for clothing, but a spot on a team.
Not just playing to win
Seven-on-seven football takes place during the high school tackle football offseason and involves, as the name implies, seven players on offense against seven players on defense. It’s a noncontact sport that moves faster than tackle football and offers athletes a chance to show off their agility.
“It’s become like a real culture with like high school kids,” Holland said. He added that Malachi Toney, a sophomore Miami commit from Florida, picked up two college offers after his first tournament with Hellstar in mid-January.
Being connected to a brand like Hellstar offers extended exposure to young athletes who are trying to build their personal brand and prime themselves for NIL opportunities in college.
“It’s a preparatory period, per se,” Ochoa said. “Kids are going to be going to the DI level where they’re asked to maintain and represent their school with integrity. We’re asking them to do the same thing with Hellstar.”
Multiple prep football players from the Daily News area were featured in Hellstar Sports’ initial campaign on its Instagram page, which has racked up nearly 11,000 followers in under a month.
Oaks Christian sophomore corner Davon Benjamin, Crespi sophomore receiver Elijah Pendleton and Westlake junior receiver Jaylen Moore were each pictured in the Instagram post that formally announced Hellstar Sports.
Giving “Hellstar” meaning
Few athletes have had trepidation in representing a brand that has “hell” in the name. Parents often question it, but Holland insists there is no satanic association and only positivity behind the name. He grew up in the church and both of his parents are pastors.
“Life can feel like hell sometimes, but throughout that you gotta shine and be a light to people and still try to find a way to always stay on the right path and make it out,” Holland said. “I think a lot of kids have connected with that.
“A lot of these kids come from hell backgrounds. A lot of these kids don’t have a lot of money. We want Hellstar to be hope for people.”
Two Hellstar Sports teams won their divisions at Red Zone Elite’s MLK Jamboree in Phoenix, Arizona, showing that the teams have legitimate aspirations and aren’t just clever marketing by a fashion brand.
The uniforms of 7-on-7 football teams are often much flashier than those of traditional high school football programs. They’re colorful and intricately designed with matching hats, headbands and gloves.
Hellstar’s image suits this well. The branded uniforms fit the mold of 7-on-7 football, but Holland, Pendleton and their coaches prioritize the football aspect, so much so that some uniforms were even left behind for their first tournament.
“This means a lot more than a lot of the clothes, drops and stuff like that,” Holland said, gesturing to the two gold trophies on the table in front of him. “And it’s not even anything crazy. It’s one tournament but the amount of dedication and sacrifice we all put in to just make it happen, I’m super proud of that.”
Hellstar Sports is focusing on football right now, but aspires to get into other sports and has set the lofty goal of opening its own sports facility.