1974 - Present

Started at the Bottom

Louie Gong (M.Ed) is a Nooksack tribal member was raised in a home with no running water by his Native grandmother (Squamish and Nooksack) and Chinese grandfather. His early years in Ruskin, B.C. were spent running wild among sword ferns and cedar trees and learning martial arts from his father - Gordie Gong - a champion kickboxer who modeled the importance of vision, practice and standing up for yourself. The family moved from Ruskin, B.C. to the Nooksack tribal community in 1984, deepening his sense of cultural heritage and community.

1992 - 1999

Foundations

After graduating from Nooksack High School in 1992, Louie attended Whatcom Community College and Western Washington University. During his 7 years of college, Louie stayed at home with Grandma in the Nooksack tribal community and worked in the Nooksack and Mout Baker School districts supporting Native youth. He also began volunteering to serve on non-profit boards during this time. A graduate of Western Washington University's School Counseling Program in 1999, Louie worked as a School Counselor in the North Kitsap School District before eventually returning to his tribe as a Child and Family Therapist. Throughout these formative experiences, Louie became obsessed with the recurring theme of identity, both in his own life and in the lives of the young people he counseled.

2000 - Present

Urban Transition

In 2003, Louie stepped away from his rural roots, accepting the role of Counseling Service Coordinator at the University of Washington (TRiO) - a role which required him to speak publicly every day. There, he had the honor of working with Julian Argel (Tsimshian), who swiftly emerged as an influencial friend and mentor. After five years in this position, Louie transitioned to the role of Education Specialist at Muckleshoot Tribal College, where his thirst for new challenges was nourished by the unwavering support of his Muckleshoot colleagues. During this career phase, he spent countless hours outside of work learning to create websites, flyers and other materials.

2003-2014

Mixed Race Movement

As a young professional, Louie became active in what is often referred to as a the "Mixed Race Movement," initially volunteering for Bone Marrow Donor Registration Drives and ultimately rising to a national leadership position as President and Spokesperson for MAVIN, a national non-profit focused on raising awareness of mixed race people and families. In these roles, his commentary on Race and Identity was featured in 100s of news media, including the NYT, MSNBC and NBC Nightly News. This activism around identity was Louie’s first real experience with organizational leadership and it was critical preparation for Louie to thrive "outside the box" in both art and arts entrepreneurship.

2005 -2015

The Shoe Guy

At 31 years old, Louie debuted as an artist by painting custom designs Vans and Converse with cultural art. The quick turnaround from concept to completion made these shoes an ideal canvas for a self-taught artist eager to experiment boldly with color, style, and themes. Louie's merger of cultural art and pop culture generated a flood of public interest that he amplified using skills developed in his professional life, and within a year, he had amassed a Facebook following of over 50,000 - huge for the time. During this period, Louie also began offering "Design Yourself" workshops that utilized shoe customization as a medium to explore personal identity. In 2011, with money earned through workshops and public speaking, he introduced the "Mockups Art Toy," an injection-molded product of his own design that was accompanied by lesson plans aligned with national academic standards.

2006 - Present

Coast Salish Artist

Louie swiftly ventured into various art mediums, skillfully merging traditional Coast Salish design with innovative techniques and themes drawn from his mixed heritage and a commitment to social justice. His boundary-pushing creations, celebrated for their sharp social commentary delivered with a wink and a smile, have been showcased at fancy places such as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, Harvard’s Peabody Essex Museum and the American Museum of Natural History. Additionally, he has collaborated with notable companies, including Brooks Running, Starbucks, and has designed for the Seattle Kraken, Seattle Sounders, Alaska Airlines, and the Bruce Lee Foundation. 

2007 - 2022

Eighth Generation

Louie founded Eighth Generation at a time when it was very rare for Native artists to participate in e-commerce, make their own products or collaborate with larger companies. Seeking to disrupt what he viewed as economic injustice, Louie intentionally focused on developing his own business capacity instead of following the well-worn path through galleries and the fine art scene. By 2015, Eighth Generation - the first Native-owned company to produce wool blankets - was one of the fastest growing Native-owned company in the United States or Canada. Since then, Louie has been widely regarded as a leading advocate for Native artists and entrepreneurs, creating real business opportunities for countless Native artists and establishing unprecedented initiatives such as the Inspired Natives Project and the Decolonizing Partnerships Model. In 2023, Louie was honored by Senator Patty Murray with a nomination to the Advisory Board for the United States Senate Commission on Art.

2013 - Present

Inspired Natives Project

Louie's organic, informal support for fellow artists transformed into the Inspired Natives Project, a comprehensive framework designed to assist emerging arts entrepreneurs through genuine business partnerships. The tagline “Inspired Natives, not Native-inspired” serves as a pointed critique of how non-Native corporations often use the term “Native-inspired” to describe inauthentic Native art, thereby evading truth-in-advertising regulations. Since its inception in 2013, Louie has forged partnerships with over 40 Native artists, including long-time collaborators Michelle Lowden (Acoma), Sarah Agaton Howes (Anishinaabe), and John Isaiah Pepion (Blackfeet).

2019 - Present

Decolonizing Partnerships Model

Louie has distilled fifteen years of experience successfully merging cultural art and business into five core principles that support, rather than exploit, cultural artists in business partnerships. In 2020, Starbucks became the first global corporation to engage with Eighth Generation under the Decolonizing Partnership Model.

Changing the Game

Louie’s groundbreaking efforts have re-directed tens of millions of dollars from non-Native corporations to indigenous artists and Native-owned businesses while creating illuminating the pathway to economic sovereignty for future generations of cultural artists - and a pathway to fair trade for non-Native corporations that have historically used fake art. As an artist who made it big while staying true to his values, Louie has lived what he calls the “Native American Dream.”

Changing the Game

Louie sold Eighth Generation to the Snoqualmie Tribe in late 2019, ensuring Native stewardship of the company for decades into the future and adding some much needed "muscle behind the hustle." In close cooperation with the tribe, he continued to lead Eighth Generation through 2022 when he formally retired from business leadership in order to focus on family and personal creative projects.

Retirement and Beyond

Louie sold Eighth Generation to the Snoqualmie Tribe in late 2019, ensuring Native stewardship of the company for decades into the future and adding some much needed "muscle behind the hustle." In close cooperation with the tribe, he continued to lead Eighth Generation through 2022 when he formally retired from business leadership in order to focus on family and personal creative projects.