As the climate of uncertainty and dread overcast the US post-911 attacks, this New Jersey-based brother duo, Tanmit Singh and Sunmit Singh, decided to defend Punjabi values, Sikh identity and to prevent Punjabi youth from sacrificing their ethnicity.
It was with this aim that they set up the street wear lifestyle brand Rootsgear in 2004.
"Fear ran rampant through the Punjabi-Sikh community . We vividly remember going to the local gurdwaras and people handing out American flags and American flag bumper stickers," said Tanmit.
"People would tell us, 'don't wear white turbans,' "don't wear round turbans,' or 'tie up your beards. "Fear had convinced our community that the only way to be safe was to either hide or scream 'I love America' at the top of their lungs so no one would question their patriotism. That's when we created our apparel firm Rootsgear, with the mission of ensuring that the Punjabi-Sikh youth didn't compromise their rich heritage in an attempt to try to assimilate," said Tanmit.