Louie Gong’s story begins in Ruskin, British Columbia, in a house surrounded by cedar trees with no running water. Raised primarily by his Coast Salish grandmother and Chinese grandfather, Louie learned resourcefulness early, using sticks and his surrounding natural environment as his primary playground and tools. Living in a full, welcoming house where his grandfather cooked multi-course meals on a Coleman camp stove for anyone in need, Louie absorbed early lessons about community, resilience, and making "one plus one equal three". His father, a champion kickboxer, introduced him to martial arts at a young age, consistently pushing him past his comfort zone and instilling the discipline, courage, and tolerance for failure that later defined his career.

At age ten, his family moved eight miles across the border to the Nooksack tribal community in Washington State—navigating a political line drawn over their traditional homeland. Experiencing the complexities of being Canadian, Indigenous to the U.S., and mixed-race led Louie into community advocacy, coordinating bone marrow donor drives for mixed-heritage people and eventually leading the organization Maven. His path into art was entirely accidental: while working in education at Muckleshoot Tribal College, he was asked to paint hand drums for an inter-tribal canoe journey. Painting 30 drums unlocked a deep passion for Coast Salish design, leading him to try painting custom shoes and eventually founding Eighth Generation in 2008.

Through years of bootstrapping without business loans or formal gallery backing, Louie grew Eighth Generation from a shoe customization project into a thriving brand housed in a 35,000-square-foot Seattle warehouse and brick-and-mortar store. In 2019, Louie achieved a milestone for Indigenous business by selling Eighth Generation to the Snoqualmie Tribe, ensuring long-term tribal ownership and community stewardship. Today, Louie continues to evolve his creative voice—shifting to watercolor and ink for an upcoming illustrated novel—while embracing fatherhood and mentoring future generations of artists.