Neechie Gear: a brand and an inspiration

Kendal Netmaker is the entrepreneur and founder behind Neechie Gear, a Saskatchewan-based clothing company that also provides underprivileged youth with opportunities to participate in sports.

Kendal grew up on the Sweetgrass First Nation, and he didn’t have the resources to participate in extracurricular activities when he was younger. With the support of a good friend’s family, Kendal was able to join a soccer team that kickstarted his love for sports, which he now credits as the source of many of his successes.

When Kendal started at the University of Saskatchewan, he wanted to become a teacher so he could work with kids and help them find direction. But Kendal also had an idea for a clothing brand bouncing around in his head. When he started seeing posters around campus for business pitching and planning competitions, he decided to go with his gut and start applying for them.

With the support of mentors and role models, Kendal started placing and winning at these business competitions, and he discovered he was a natural at public speaking. Neechie Gear was born out of Kendal’s successes at these competitions.

The brand soon got a kiosk in the local mall, and started selling out all of its gear. Pop-up shops across the country were a huge success. And now, an online store means that people from all across Canada are wearing and supporting Neechie Gear – including local, provincial and national-level sports teams.

The Neechie Gear website also profiles role models that Kendal believes have been successful at empowering youth in different ways. He hopes that by shining light on these people, others will find inspiration in their work, too.

Kendal was recently featured on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Instagram feed as a successful graduate of post-secondary education. He later got to join the Prime Minister and other young leaders in a roundtable discussion about issues affecting young people in Canada.

Even with all of his success, Kendal never forgets the act of kindness from his childhood friend that changed the course of his life. With that in mind, Kendal’s next endeavour is to create an academy for entrepreneurs. The academy will help people create a business, unlock personal skills they didn’t know they had, and establish a brand.

Kendal found success because he had sports to fall back on when times were tough. He wants to ensure all kids have that positive environment as well, and Neechie Gear is making that happen for youth across the country.