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THE GOOD HOUSE OF DESIGN

2021 Excellence in Culture

AWARD

Ay Lelum–The Good House of Design has received the Excellence in Culture Award for their contributions to local, national and international fashion. Run by sisters Aunalee Boyd-Good and Sophia Seward Good, in collaboration with their family; mother Sandra Moorhouse Good, father William Good, and brother Joel Good, this Coast Salish design house is recognized as one of Canada’s leading Indigenous fashion companies.

Committed to sustainability and ethical practices, while following cultural protocols, their ready-to-wear line is produced in Vancouver, and their couture garments are made by hand on Snuneymuxw territory. Since 2018, they have presented collections at Vancouver Fashion Week, across North America, and have had their couture pieces featured in Vogue Italia, as well as numerous other publications. Ay Lelum also records their own music in Hul’q’umi’num and English as a part of their artistic and storytelling process.

Good family with Mayor Leonard Krog and Snuneymuxw First Nation Chief Mike Wyse

Aunalee & Sofia Good | Ay-Lelum | Custom Coast Salish Clothing | Nanaimo, BC

TRADITIONAL

COAST SALISH DESIGN

We are a multi-generational Artist family who collaborate in making Coast Salish Fashions from our Design House on Snuneymuxw First Nation in Nanaimo, B.C., Canada.

We also host and open events, do workshops and put on Fashion Shows. We record our own music that has been featured in numerous video and film projects. Custom collaborative art works are also available for corporate projects, which include design work and original art.

Aunalee & Sofia Good | Ay-Lelum | Custom Coast Salish Clothing | Nanaimo, BC

 At Ay Lelum, we create wearable art garments that embrace diversity, and we are committed to sharing Traditional Coast Salish art and culture for all people to wear and enjoy.  Our culturally appropriate clothing is designed with family artwork that is non-ceremonial and is all-inclusive for everyone! We also offer a range of sizes, with our ready-wear being manufactured ranging from  XS-5XL.

 

We are passionate about being active in the documentation of our family artwork, music and historical information for the future generations and abide by strict cultural guidelines, protocols and Hul'q'umi'num' Law, as outlined by our Father, Dr. William Good, a Storyteller and Master Coast Salish artist in our region. We also record our own original music for our showcases as part of our interdisciplinary artistic process that combines the garment design process with the musical process to create a whole collection and presentation, featuring Hul’q’umi’num’ language, creating a modern form of story-telling and cultural preservation that is fused with garment design. Being the next generation of Coast Salish designers working under the guidance of our Elders, we understand the importance of learning in the traditional ways, and we are inspired by combining Coast Salish art, culture, language, textiles and music, thus creating wearable art that embodies West-Coast elegance and Indigenous culture. Our design house draws on the foundation laid by our parents, Sandra Moorhouse-Good and Dr. William Good, who had a successful Coast Salish clothing line in the 1990's labelled Ay Ay Mut​, which means "beautiful" in Hul'q'umi'num. Inspired by their 35 years of artistic collaboration, Ay Lelum came to be.  

 

We are also committed to reducing our environmental footprint by not only creating our Coast Salish Couture pieces in our family studio and home in Nanaimo, but in also working with the finest local BC manufacturers for our ready-wear collections that are produced in Canada. We have even chosen to have our current T-shirts to be sewn in Canada! We use eco-friendly and natural fibers whenever possible, such as TENCEL™ , hemp, bamboo, organic cotton, and recycled polyesters as our part in utilizing the highest quality sustainable, natural and recycled fabrics available in our industry as canvas for our artistic design.

 

We are a multi-generational Artist Family creating wearable works of art for you and your whole family! Our locally manufactured ready-wear items are available as Limited Editions, as well as we create exclusive Coast Salish Couture by custom order. We supply garments to various fine Galleries and Stores, including BC Ferries, we do shows and custom artwork. Check out our Retailers list for a store near you or visit our online store. For wholesale inquiries, event inquiries and corporate projects, please contact us by email.

NYFW SS23

Transformation

Transformation is a showcase that walks you through the lives of our modern day, multi- generational Coast Salish Family from Snuneymuxw First Nation in BC, Canada. It opens with the youth in the family walking in wool blankets and traditional headbands to our Two Worlds song, celebrating the duality of worlds we live in. The white and neutral tones represent traditional Coast Salish wool garments and our ancient Coast Salish traditions. As the garment colors shift and change it represents our transformation and navigating this new world. The song is recorded with our nephew John Harris and his daughter Hazel, involving four generations in the family. The design is an Eagle, Wolf and Serpent Transformation by our brother Joel Good.

As the song transitions into our Transformation Song, we move into ocean tones with our Human and Killer Whale Transformation design by Joel Good. Amidst the ocean underworld, we find our transformative power, as did the human who in our stories, gained his strength from the ocean and the Killer Whale.

This strength is represented in our Power song that celebrates overcoming adversity, as showcased in the bright, bold colors with the Transformation design. As we embrace resilience together, we are stronger.

Music will be available on major streaming platforms soon.

OUR LOGO

Our Logo depicts our family legend of the first man and the first woman of the Nanaimo River. With The Good House of Design being located on this river, this logo also signifies the transformation of art and knowledge between generations. The logo depicts the beginning of our family art production with our elders and parents, as well as the various combinations of siblings working together. It also signifies the union of mixed colors, with opposing spots giving balance to this union. We are artists, we are a family, we are
Ay Lelum, The Good House of Design.

 

"AY LELUM" translates to "GOOD HOUSE" in Hul'q'umi'num and is pronounced similar to: "aigh(t) lay-lum"

Ay-Lelum Logo | Custom Coast Salish Clothing | Nanaimo, BC

AWARD WINNING 

BUSINESS

In 2018 we were awarded the distinction of the 2018 Indigenous Business of the Year Award (1-2 Person Enterprise) through the BC Achievement Foundation.  

 

We had the honor of being invited to the Indigenous Business Awards Gala as Alumni to present the 2019 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and had our music featured at the event.

We also placed TOP 5 for the Small Business BC Awards 2020 in the Best Marketer category and had our music featured in the event video that opened the Gala.

ABOUT US

Learn more about who we are, and our mission.

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