I first met Roberto Foz and Jelani Hinkson about 16 years ago when we were all entering our first year at Côte St. Luc’s Wagar High School.

The truth is I was never really that tight with either of them, but I remember them being good guys who always got along with everyone and were among the more popular guys playing basketball in the gym at lunchtime or hanging out after school.

With the beauty of hindsight, when you think about high school, you can kind of figure out why certain people went on to work in certain industries and succeeded or failed.

Roberto and Jelani? Yeah, thinking about it now, I’m not all that surprised the two of them, both 28 now, went on to found a clothing line, along with Jelani’s older brother, Che Hinkson, 30.

It takes a certain je-ne-sais-quoi to have the wherewithal to get into the fashion industry, and these guys seem to have what it takes – but what’s really impressive about their venture, Endigee Clothing, is that it’s all about representing two of their biggest passions: the NDG community and the hip hop lifestyle…



Off-Sidel: What was the inspiration behind Endigee?

Foz: The clothing line was inspired by a few things: the love of hip hop music and the love of fashion. We started the clothing line early in 2007 when we thought it was time for our positive ideas about hip hop to be put out in the world.



Off-Sidel: Who's buying your gear?

Foz: We have a lot of different people purchasing our clothing from different parts of the world. You would think that most of our fans would be those who just listen to hip hop music, but it’s actually people who just love the ideas and the beliefs of the company.



Off-Sidel: What kind of influence do sports have on your designs?

Foz: Well in sports, there two things you need in order to be successful – vision and drive. That’s a message we want to deliver through our designs to not only those in sports but also to those who are chasing their dreams.



Off-Sidel: Who designs the clothes?

Foz: I design all the graphics for the clothing but each one wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for our collective ideas being put together.



Off-Sidel: Obviously NDG is important to you guys - what makes the community so important to you?

Che Hinkson: NDG is very important to us because this is where we all grew up and where we all learned our toughest life lessons.

Foz: This is where I was born and raised and the community has always been supportive of us, so we thought this would be a great way to pay tribute to such a wonderful community.

Jelani Hinkson: That’s why we named our clothing line Endigee (which is short for Never Deny Growth). We want people, and especially young people, to be able to look at life in a positive way. No matter what you are trying to achieve, all is possible.

That’s what this community has taught us.



For more information on Endigee Clothing, visit www.endigee.com or search Endigee Cl Othing (yes, with the space between CL and OTHING) on Facebook.