A big, burly, scary-looking guy walks into a tent at a rock festival. And what does he say?
“I want to let you know that this brand saved my life.”
This might be an unexpected experience for some apparel brand owners, but for Demons Behind Me, this is what the business is all about.
Chris Richardson, co-founder and co-owner of Demons Behind Me, said this recent experience is one of dozens of eye-opening stories he could recall in which he’d been approached with thanks, a hug or a heartfelt story about what the brand has meant to someone.
“Jim and I run the brand,” Richardson said, “but it’s so much bigger than us. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for y’all.”
Demons Behind Me, a Jacksonville-based apparel company that began with two men and a set of embroidery machines in a spare bedroom, has evolved into a mental health lifeline with a nonprofit foundation, national community and a mission woven into the very fabric of their clothing.
And it all started with a tattoo on the back of Richardson’s leg.
Jim Thelen, co-founder and co-owner of the brand, said he and Richardson worked together at a restaurant in Jacksonville Beach when the entrepreneurial itch struck. With a graphic design degree and the desire to do something with clothing, Thelen said all he needed was inspiration.
“I wanted it to have a mantra and a meaning,” he said. “[Richardson] has a tattoo on his calf that says ‘Demons Behind Me,’ and I knew that was it. That was the mantra.”
Richardson said the phrase came from his mother, who used to tell her children that they had to keep moving forward and put behind them whatever trouble they were in.
“Growing up, I used to get into a lot of trouble,” Richardson admitted. “It was something our mom used to tell us as kids, that we have to move forward.”
The company, which launched as a hobby in 2009 and relaunched more seriously in March 2017, now has 15 employees and a cult following all because of those three little words.
“The collective mantra is all about moving forward and leaving the past behind,” Thelen said. “I feel that what you wear has a big impact on your identity. We’ve always been given the advice to dress for the job that you want. Our advice is to dress for the life that you want. If you’ve been stuck or need to be motivated, when you wear a mantra like this, you become motivated and you embrace moving forward.”
The brand logo also can serve as a reminder of that during difficult times.
“It all sort of comes back to that in some form or fashion,” Richardson agreed. “This is a brand that is relatable to everybody in some form or fashion. My demons aren’t your demons. It’s OK to move forward. It’s OK not to be OK. It’s a conversation piece starter. Once you get your thoughts in line, things can get better.”
From tattoo to mantra
For the first few years, Demons Behind Me described itself as an inspirational clothing brand. The mission was baked into the name: wear it, feel it, move forward.
Then, in 2016, Thelen’s sister died of a heroin overdose.
“She had anxiety and depression and developed substance abuse issues with pain pills,” he said. “She ran out of pain pills [and] bought heroin and died the first time she [used] it.”
The loss clarified something for Thelen, and mental health became more thoroughly interlocked with the brand’s identity. The company began steering its focus more directly toward mental health advocacy.
They restructured their online store so customers could choose a cause close to their hearts, with a portion of each order donated. The percentage varies by item purchase — sometimes 1-5% or sometimes the full amount — and the company added a new layer to its charitable work in September 2024.
With the launch of the Demons Behind Me Foundation, the organization has started to provide financial support for counseling services, crisis assistance, referrals and direct aid to families in need.
In its first year, the foundation helped more than 30 families and supported eight other nonprofit organizations, Thelen said.
The foundation is also a contributor to Here Tomorrow, a local organization based in Neptune Beach focused on suicide prevention that offers treatment support for a year. A recent collaboration T-shirt with Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor splits proceeds between the Taylor Foundation and Demons Behind Me Foundation.
Thelen also is quick to claim Jacksonville as the company’s foundation — not just geographically but spiritually. He said seeing the Salt Life brand rooted in a local identity and grow into something national was a big point of inspiration.
Both owners believe Demons Behind Me can do something similar.
“We need Jacksonville to know that we’re here,” Richardson said. “We started the brand here, and we’re a local brand, and we want to build a better community right here too.”
The weight of the work
Running a business and a nonprofit simultaneously takes a toll that doesn’t always show up in the branding. The apparel side demands constant reinvention, Thelen said, with new designs, silhouettes or trends in a market that changes seasonally.
“You’re going to have obstacles and have setbacks,” Thelen said. “The challenge is moving forward, and that’s when the mantra becomes really important.”
There are challenges on the foundation side too. Demand for mental health support is not a problem that can be solved with a T-shirt or a single organization, but the founders believe in the compounding effect of a community.
“My hope is that they have an understanding that our past is not what defines us today,” Thelen said.
Every person who tells their story publicly makes it safer for the next person to say they’re struggling, and every sticker on a refrigerator or wristband on a stranger might be the thing that keeps someone around a little longer.
Thelen and Richardson are building toward more programs, deeper community roots in Jacksonville and an expanded foundation with their mission.
“My hope is that they understand there is a local brand here in Jacksonville that is trying to make a difference in people’s lives,” Richardson said. “They don’t have to like the aesthetic of the brand, but I want them to know we are here and trying to help others.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Demons Behind Me: How Jacksonville brand became a mental health lifeline
Reporting by Alexandria Mansfield, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alexandria Mansfield, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
