With a unique and progressive aesthetic, he
first drew attention for his memorable designing
of custom shoes, leading to the award-winning
short documentary, Unreserved: The Work of
Louie Gong, that featured his work in 2009.
Since then, Gong’s reputation has risen
steadily, eventually leading to the launch of his
Eighth Generation store in Pike Place Market,
a bustling shopping centre in Seattle. In 2014,
Gong launched The Inspire Natives Project, an
initiative that engages Native American artists
by offering entrepreneurial opportunity, under
the Eighth Generation brand.
We spoke with Gong to discuss the success
of his Eighth Generation store, the community
hub that the shop has quickly become, and the
movement that inevitably sparked once their
doors opened in Pike Place Market.
Through Eighth Generation and The
Inspired Natives Project, you enable
Native American art entrepreneurs to gain
recognition for their creative expression
and designs. Have you noticed a change
in the Seattle community towards Native
American culture?
We have visitors to our store that have heard
a radio piece or seen a print article where the
tagline ‘Inspired Natives’ has been used, and
they come in repeating it. Some people raise
their fists when they walk in the store, saying
‘I’m here to support “Inspired Natives”.’
People are used to digesting information in
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quick sound bites and, because we want to reach
mainstream consumers, we’ve had to develop our
game in that area. We know that a sound bite
is not the solution, but it’s a way to get people
engaged, to get them into the store, get them on
our website where we can complete the narrative
about why it’s important to support cultural
artists, rather than supporting businesses that
just take cultural art from cultural artists.
Why is it important to preserve cultural
ownership over Native American art,
and what argument would you present to
the average person looking for a “Native-
inspired” produ