Customed by Juice: Childhood Talent Now Supports His Livelihood

Los Angeles, Cal. — “The talent I have is a gift from God, but the work ethic in which I pride myself comes from my dad,” says Hugo Renteria, the founder of Custom by Juice.  

From a very early age, Hugo’s father instilled in him the work ethic he now carries with him. On the days Hugo was not in school, his father would wake him up at 3:30 AM and take him to work. 

As a teenager, Hugo would spend hours honing on his craft but never imagined that he could make a living from his drawings. Not having the proper guidance, he put aside his brushes and looked for work. After high school, he worked at a frozen food warehouse before he went back to school to pick up a trade and learned to become a machinist.

Twenty-One years later, Hugo is still waking up by 3:30 AM, gets ready for work, and drives Lyft before starting his day as a machinist at a local shop in Los Angeles. But that all changed when the COVID pandemic hit California. Unable to work as a machinist, Hugo decided to occupy his time working on customizing sneakers for friends and family.

Since then, Hugo’s business has taken off and has been able to support his livelihood. But when his employer asked him to return to work, Hugo decided to trust God and continue to grow his business.

“If I knew that my childhood talent would one day support myself and loved ones, I would have taken my artwork more seriously as a teenager,” says Hugo. 

To learn more about Hugo’s artwork, and customize your kicks, DM him on his Instagram profile CustomedByJuice.