Shoes and clothes are one way many people express their style, tastes and identity. But having grown up with an identity divided, local artist Louie Gong takes it upon himself to create shoe designs that bridge and express his mixed racial identity.
“There aren’t those clothing pieces, words or media icons [usually] that help us to express pride in our identity,” Gong says. “My work challenges people to categorize it, but [they] can’t, because it’s a mix of so many different things, and I really love that.”
Gong—who identifies himself as Native American, Chinese, French and Scottish—began custom designing Vans shoes seven months ago for his business, Eighth Generation. His designs are made with images and influence of Coast Salish tribal communities, Chinese pop-art and the “urban aesthetic of Seattle.”
The shoes generally feature traditional animal designs from the Nooksack tribal community where Gong grew up, colored with a mix of neutral and vivid tones. Gong’s most notable designs are those of a hummingbird, wolf and whale, all of which symbolic to the tribal community. He is now beginning to branch out to more Chinese-inspired designs, like his most recent dragon design.
“I try to be as real and as raw as I can,” he says. “I’m just trying to be myself.”
Although Gong has become most noted for his shoe designs, he designs T-shirts and skateboard decks as well. The decks are carved out of cedar by his uncle, John Miranda. Although the cedar wood makes it impossible to actually ride one of these decks, it’s used because it’s a wood that grows on his reservation and is traditionally significant to the Nooksack heritage.
“I would really like to do more paintings on my uncle’s creations—have him carve the base object out of cedar, and then paint it and share it with the world,” he says.
It is Miranda’s influence that drives him in some of the themes he explores in his art.
“My uncle is also Chinese and Indian and has supported me to spark dialogue about mixed heritage,” Gong says.
Gong describes Miranda as a major support for him, seeing as he faced many of the cultural difficulties Gong himself did.
Gong grew up just outside of Bellingham on the Nooksack reservation. While he had to adhere to the social standards of the tribal community, he also had to follow the social rules of his mostly-white public school and his Chinese background at home.
“[My work] is a natural reflection of who I am as a person,” he says. “I feel like the result of my shoes is basically what I’ve inherited through my family.”
Gong first began to struggle with his racial identity as a child but soon learned to channel that and use it as his inspiration.
“I’ve had people ask ‘What are you, where are you from, where are your parents from?’” he says. “It’s a reminder that you’re a little different and not really part of the mainstream. I began to reconstruct that […] and be myself amongst all that pressure.”
Gong remembers constantly wanting a pair of Vans as a child but never really being able to get one. In March 2009, he decided to buy his first pair. However, none of the styles and designs on the shoes connected with Gong.
“I bought a grey pair because it was neutral, and it was better to get something neutral than something that doesn’t speak to who I am as a person,” Gong says. “I just grabbed a Sharpie and started doodling on them without any design really in mind.”
A film about Gong’s artwork and life will be shown at Bellevue College Nov. 5 through 7 in conjunction with the American Indian Film Festival. This will be joined with his first art exhibit, where he plans on showing 30 shoes, 30 cedar decks and a photo portfolio of all his work.
Gong is both surprised and proud of how well his artwork has connected with people across the nation.
“I think that my shoes reflect the value of being able to move back and forth between different worlds,” says Gong. “I feel as if I’m honoring my family and my heritage.”
Local artist’s shoe designs step across racial lines
Published: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
 "Photo: Louie Gong")
Louie Gong
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