Artists, skaters, mountain bikers, snowboarders, and
lifestylers all have a common thread tying them together lately, and it can be found in
Sopris Clothing. Founded in 2005 by CEO Curtis Lewis and the
Birch Tree Projekt,
Sopris Clothing has been a dream many years in the making.
Curtis has called the Colorado Rockies his home since day one growing up in the shadow of the famous
Mt. Sopris. With its solo
pyrimidal peak towering above the town, it made a lasting impression on his life. As a result, Curtis embraced Colorado's notoriously active lifestyle early on, picking up snowboarding and mountain biking. Later, he began to mix in his natural taste and artistic style. When it was time to finally transform his aspirations into reality and create his own clothing company, he chose the name of the hill that has continued to evoke his passion for Colorado: Mt.
Sopris. "...for me, its the symbol of where it all began and was a natural choice."
Sopris Clothing is a small operation that is bigger than life. On any given day, you would likely catch Curtis hard at work managing his expanding brand of clothing, but you just might catch him enjoying fresh powder in the winter or in the spring and summer, railing the flow of a
singletrack decent. Curtis is careful to make time for the things that infuse passion into the company and his life. In addition to the clothes, Curtis also creates and maintains all the business content; he puts together freakishly funny 16mm movies you can find on
YouTube, he designs
skatedecks for the locals, and all the while making sure he promotes and provides for the team...
Speaking of
that team,
Sopris is actively involved and totally
committed to the the action sports community having already sponsored a successful pro cross country
MTB team in 2006. For 2007 the team has expanded to include a semi-pro whitewater
kayker, a downhill mountain bike team, local skaters and has plans of backing a cast of snowboarders when Colorado's kind powder begins to fly again this coming winter. It's this intimate connection to speed, style and good times that makes up the
Sopris Clothing ethos and the natural act that drives his designs.
So when you are out in the hills, keep an eye out for
Sopris. He may be out there shoulder to shoulder with you enjoying
Colorado's gifts of gravity and
splendor while rocking some of the most unique and inspired hand finished clothing available.
Meeting Curtis Lewis when he's plugged into running Sopris is like catching someone right in the middle of an epic battle with the "super boss" on their Okamakon Game Cube. I managed to get with him over the phone while he was campaigning the brand in beautiful Aspen, CO.
