CINCINNATI — Some of the biggest names in sports come all the way to Cincinnati for a suit.
"It is fun, I'm not gonna sit here and lie," Chuck Hellman said. "It's a hell of a lot of fun."
If your idea of fun is picking out colors for contrasting button holes and trying on $200 dress shirts, Hellman is your guy. He's been making men in greater Cincinnati spiffy for more than 10 years, and across the nation even longer.
He showcases some of his top clients on a wall of fame taking up about three walls in his store, Hellman Clothiers.
"A current Red, Elly de la Cruz, is here. Luke Fickell, who I have dressed at UC and now Wisconsin," Hellman said. "Evan McPherson, D'Ante Smith, Jesse Winker, Christian Wilkins from the Miami Dolphins, Andy Dalton, even Kool & The Gang was in here."
Most clients come to Hellman, but for Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Hellman went out on a limb. He called Burrow's dad first.
"I said, 'I want to dress your son. He's going to be in Cincinnati and I'm the guy who wants to do it,'" he said. " I met Joe at his parents' house in Athens, Ohio, and we talked about what he wanted to look like in his first year in the Bengals uniform."
Burrow's tunnel outfits were getting more than just likes from fans. Bengals running back Joe Mixon wanted in.
"I think the word was, 'Joe's looking fly and can you help me out,'" Hellman recalled.
And when the team went to the Super Bowl, Hellman was busy.
"I bet I saw 10 of them. There [were] lots of them — mostly the offense of line," Hellman said.
Hellman's custom suits have even caught the eye of guys on the opposing teams.
"I have a little bit of a reputation now dressing some of the athletes, which is nice. Matter of fact, I'm going out to San Francisco this week to see one of the guys I do dress, Javon Kinlaw," he said.
Although Hellman is the go-to guy for athletes, he said even your average Joe gets five-star service, citing that as the reason he gets so many return customers.
"It's really why we do what we do because if they do come back, it means they were treated well," said Hellman. "They liked how we styled them. They had a great experience and that's what fashion is all about."
