Eighth Generation Making Blankets for Marvel

Eighth Generation Making Blankets for Marvel

Wakonda Forever!

Black Panther became a major hit shortly after its release in 2018 and got us all hooked. From its writing to directing and acting, the movie won many hearts globally and held special importance for the Black and African American communities.

 In 2019, it was nominated for 7 Academy Awards and won several accolades. After its roaring success, a sequel was highly anticipated and due.

And it finally happened.

But did you know the blankets worn in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were made by a Native-owned and led company?

Marvel

Louie Gong, the founder of Eighth Generation, received a call in 2020 from Stacy Caballero, a costume designer from Marvel. When she reached out to him to discuss a potential partnership, Louise expressed how he wished he had the opportunity to make the blankets he saw in Black Panther. “So hiring Eighth Generation to produce the blankets for Wakanda Forever was fate!” shared Stacy.

Eighth Generation is a Seattle-based and Native-owned brand for home goods brand founded by Louie Gong in 2008. Gong is an educator, artist, and activist popularly known for combing Coast Salish art with the urban environment to make statement pieces about identity. The company has now become the first Native-owned fashion house to produce wool blankets for the prestigious Marvel franchise.

The underlying philosophy of the Eighth Generation is the same as the idea behind Wakanda: to effectively use our skills and potential to develop our capacity. Ruth Carter, an Academy Award-winning costume designer, specifically designed the blankets produced by Eighth Generation on their in-house knitting machines.

Marvel

Numerous factors were taken into consideration, such as the yarn colors, the back side of the blanket, and finer blanket details. From there onward, Kim Kroeker, the director of product development, programmed the design on her computer so the file could be uploaded to the knitting machine.

Once that process was complete, she completed her intricate threading work of the right-colored yarn through the machine so it could begin knitting. After the machine completed the blanket, the Eighth Generation staff finished it by hand, washed, steamed, blocked, and packed the product to send to Carter and the Marvel team.

When Louie saw the blankets on the big screen, he was all smiles. “I am super grateful to Marvel, Ruth, and Stacy for giving us this opportunity to shine,” he said. Colleen Echohawk is the current CEO of Eighth Generation, and she cannot overstate the power of this partnership.” It feels great to see big names like Disney and Marvel giving Indigenous and Black talent a platform.

marvel

Eighth Generation specializes in reclaiming the market for Native-designed wool textiles with their 100% Native-designed wool blankets that were later sold commercially. In 2020, they started knitting Native-designed wool blankets on high-tech machines in a Seattle-based studio, combining centuries-old traditional art with contemporary technology.

 It took a lot of effort to expand their staff, reclaim production, grow the business in dynamic ways, and spread their business knowledge with other activists and artists. But their hard work paid off at the end of the day, and the fruit couldn’t be sweeter.

Last Updated on March 13, 2023 by Paul G

About Paul G

Paul G is the founder PowWows.com, who wears many hats as a business coach, photographer, and collector of quirky shirts. Paul started PowWows.com in 1996 while pursuing his graduate degree. With a passion for travel, he and his family hav  traveled the world, capturing unforgettable memories and photos. When he's not coaching or clicking, he's indulging in the magic of Disney.


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