Henry Stilwell is taking newfound fame in his stride with the launch of a new clothing label and his own brand of hip-hop.
Stilwell, alias “Lil Henry”, 22, was among the cast of Four Go Flatting, a television series which put four intellectually disabled men in their 20s in a flatting situation for the first time.
Back at home in Ngatea, he has established clothing label Lil Henry, caps, t-shirts and pens.
He has already sold out of caps and is waiting for more stock to arrive while preparing to go into the recording studio in Hamilton in a fortnight to work on a new single.
Stilwell has Williams Syndrome (WS), a genetic condition that is present at birth and can affect anyone.
It is characterised by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays and learning disabilities.
These often occur side by side with striking verbal abilities, highly social personalities and an affinity for music.
The New Zealand Williams Syndrome Association says WS affects 1 in 10,000 people worldwide – an estimated 200 people in New Zealand – and is known to occur equally in males and females in every culture.
Working it out as they go along: The flatties (from left) Conor, Henry, Jesse and Mitch . Photo / TVNZ
Stilwell describes it as a genetic disorder, saying he is blessed to have avoided some of the symptoms others with the syndrome have.
“I don’t have the other things that other people do so I’m very blessed to still be here.”
While embracing TV stardom and building his own brand of clothing and music, Stilwell remains committed to the job he has held for more than four years.
He delivers the Valley Profile community newspaper in Ngatea. His life experiences are captured online and shared with about 40,000 TikTok users.
“I wanted to start my own business, so I thought maybe make some clothes and some branding for it and it’s gone really good,” he said of his new venture.
He also had charity in mind, with $1 donated to the New Zealand Williams Syndrome Association from every t-shirt sold.
“We have run out of hats, so we are going to get some more.”
Henry has launched his own Lil Henry clothing label.
Stilwell grew up in Ngatea, where he lives with his parents.
The opportunity to appear on Four Go Flatting came about after he missed an appearance on the television show Down for Love due to Covid-19.
“I was meant to date someone with Down Syndrome but since Covid hit, I couldn’t do it because she got Covid at the time that I was supposed to do it.
