DAA Industry Opt Out Brooks’s latest collection. To provide a different retelling of the North American legend, the brand partnered with artist, entrepreneur, and runner Louie Gong. Raised in the Nooksack tribal community, Gong grew up in the foothills of Mount Baker in Washington State’s Cascade Mountains.
“Most native stories, regardless of what community the stories originated in, have a teaching attached to them,” Gong says on a video call with RW. “I started to think to myself, ‘What teachings are attached to the Sasquatch stories that I’m aware of?’ And the idea of reinforcing the connection with nature really popped out to me as sort of the primary element of the stories surrounding Sasquatch.”
Infused with design elements, the Sasquatch edition of the Cascadia 16 trail shoes features design elements inspired by rural Washington’s flora: red huckleberry, bigleaf maple moss, and licorice ferns.
Sasquatch, a.k.a. Bigfoot, is seen as a mysterious cryptid or even as a joke in pop culture. Gong’s artwork reinterprets Sasquatch as a shapeshifter that protects the natural environment and humans who respect nature.
“When I set out on a trail run, there’s an element of discovery or mystery, like, ‘What animals might I see on this trip? What berries are ripening right now? Am I gonna find any cool mushrooms?’ These are questions that I ask myself,” Gong says. “And I think the intrigue that those questions create is closely related to this idea of Sasquatch. So it’s a symbol of discovery that I think excites people who like to trail run.”
RW+ Membership Benefits Eighth Generation, owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe, about 15 years ago. Eighth Generation has since collaborated with approximately 40 indigenous artists. Artist collaboration is based on the We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article, which is anchored by five principles, including: artist ownership, compensation, participation in retail stores, access to industry knowledge, and control over storytelling. Gong sold Eighth Generation in 2019, and acted as CEO for the next three years. He discovered the same fundamental core values in his partnership with Brooks.
Why You Should Wear Trail-Specific Running Apparel Shoes & Gear to support the organization’s mission: educating runners to respect ancestral Native lands.
You can find all Sasquatch gear, which includes the Cascadia 16 The elusive Sasquatch is at the center of brooksrunning.com.
Amanda Furrer, Editor, Running Reviews, studied journalism at NYU and writing at Emerson College. She has reviewed gear and covered other topics in the running space for almost 10 years. Since 2013, she has consecutively run the Boston Marathon. She also has a master’s degree in gastronomy from Boston University and was formerly a professional baker for two years before hanging up her apron.
