Eighth Generation's Top 10 of 2018 (Plus, Exclusive 2019 Sneak Peeks!)

Check out ten of our favorite highlights from 2018 (and a few exclusive teasers for what's to come) in our end of the year recap below! Or, skip it all and go straight to our 2019 Look Book.

New Inspired Natives Project Collaborator

John Isaiah Pepion (Blackfeet Nation) shows his Piikani pride in the new "Lightning Horse" Wool Blanket

In February, we were honored to welcome John Isaiah Pepion (Blackfeet Nation) as our newest Inspired Natives Project collaborator! In the short amount of time he's been a part of the Project, we've collaborated to release a new wool blanket, gifted custom "Piikani Pride" t-shirts to elementary schoolers on the Blackfeet Reservation, and more. You can check out John's growing line of Eighth Generation products here, and keep an eye out for John's newest blanket - dropping soon!

Inspired Natives Awards

Eighth Generation Founder, Louie Gong (Nooksack) gifts Inspired Natives Award recipient, Mariana Harvey (Yakama) "The Companion" Wool Blanket

Three years ago when Eighth Generation became the first Native-owned company to offer wool blankets, we promised that 5% of profit from our retail blanket sales would go back to community. Last year - as a small part of our broader giving - we fulfilled this promise with the launch of an award for emerging Native arts entrepreneurs, administered yearly by our friends at the Evergreen State College Longhouse. This year, we were very proud to recognize someone who consistently shows up for the community to do the heavy lifting - Yakama artist and activist Mariana Harvey! Get to know Mariana in our latest blog post.

High Profile Blanket Collaborations

David Robert Boxley with his "Confluence" Wool Blanket (left) by Kiliii Yuyan (Nanai) and Jared Yazzie with his "Tribute" Wool Blanket (right) by Tomás Karmelo Amaya (Yaqui/Zuni/Rarámuri)

This summer, we launched two of our most highly anticipated blanket collaborations! The "Tribute" Wool Blanket by Jared Yazzie (Diné) of OXDX and the "Confluence" Wool Blanket by David Robert Boxley (Tsimshian) were the results of our 2017 Blanket Design Contest. Keep an eye out for our upcoming 2019 Blanket Design Contest by signing up for our mailing list here!

The First Wool Blanket Honoring Two Spirit People

This fall, we released the beautiful "Two Spirit" Wool Blanket in collaboration with Ojibwe artist Ryan Young. This blanket represents our company’s small effort to honor two spirit and LGBTQ peoples, who are traditionally held in high regard in indigenous communities. Get to know Ryan and hear the story behind the blanket in the video above!

Portland Bound!

As exciting as it was to take a trip to Portland with the team, we're even more excited for what's coming next! More developments on the way in 2019 - stay tuned :)

Our Growing Team

Our hardworking team is growing faster than ever! Most recently, we were very excited to add Starr Warner (Diné) as a Studio Assistant. We also promoted three of our existing staff, Serene (Hopi/Anishinaabe), Stephanie (Tlingit), and Josh (Salish Kootenai) to management positions! Here you can see some of our staff proudly unboxing our newly released line of crew socks.

New Line of "Little" Blankets

Left: "Sprout" Wool Blanket by Eighth Generation, Sarah Agaton Howes, and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi; Right: "The Companion" Wool Blanket by Sarah Agaton Howes (Anishinaabe)

This fall we were very excited to introduce a new line of cozy wool blankets that represent warmth and protection for the special little ones in our lives! Native-designed and made in the USA, these blankets feature space on their labels to personalize with a note or name for an extra special gift. You can look out for another wool blanket collaboration with Sarah Agaton Howes dropping in 2019!

RES 2018

This year, Eighth Generation Founder, Louie Gong (Nooksack) was honored to be featured as a keynote speaker at the 2018 Reservation Economic Summit! We had a great time making new connections and putting on a wool blanket fashion show with the help of volunteer models from the summit.

New Headquarters

Our new headquarters building with artwork mockup.

This year, we officially grew out of our Chinatown studio, and made the move to a new headquarters on Airport Way! Complete with administrative offices and a warehouse/production space, we're very happy to have a new home that provides a little more space for our small but ever-growing company.

Louie's Last Workshop

As some of you may know, Eighth Generation Founder, Louie Gong (Nooksack) earned the seed money to become the first Native-owned company to offer wool blankets through public speaking and custom shoe workshops. In May, Louie closed out this chapter when he traveled to Metlakatla, Alaska to perform his very last custom shoe workshop. A filmmaker traveled with him to document his time there, where he meets with "Confluence" Wool Blanket artist, David Robert Boxley (Tsimshian), and reflects on the journey that has brought him to where he is today. Check out the trailer above!