From his beginnings in public housing in Ottawa to building acclaimed brands like Sully & Son Co., House of Hayla, and Black Designers of Canada, George Sully's journey defies the odds and the gatekeepers of an industry slow to embrace diversity.
Through unflinching honesty and hard-won insight, Sully reflects on his triumphs and setbacks, navigating systemic exclusion, building his own platforms, and reimagining what it means to succeed on one's own terms. His story extends beyond fashion to entrepreneurship, identity, and the quiet courage it takes to keep building when no one is watching.
From creating the iconic Starfleet Boot for Star Trek: Discovery to mentoring the next generation of designers, Sully has left an indelible mark on Canadian culture. But Designing in the Dark is not just a memoir of success, it is a blueprint for creative survival and self-determination.
Poignant, inspiring, and deeply human, Sully's narrative illuminates the tension between legacy and reinvention, urging readers to rise above the darkness and design a life that endures beyond it.
Part memoir, part social commentary, Designing in the Dark is the captivating story of George Sully: founder of Black Designers of Canada and award-winning fashion designer.
George Sully is an award-winning designer, creative director, and entrepreneur based in Toronto, ON. As the founder of Sully & Son Co. and Black Designers of Canada, his work bridges fashion, culture, and social impact, inspiring a new generation to reimagine design, representation, and legacy in Canada and beyond.
Sales and Market Bullets
• FOR FANS OF: Books with a blend of business insight, cultural insight, and personal storytelling. For readers of Shoe Dog (Phil Knight), Born a Crime (Trevor Noah), The Skin We're In (Desmond Cole), Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull), and The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl (Issa Rae).
• FOR THE TREKKIES: Includes George's groundbreaking role as the original maker of the Star Trek: Discovery Starfleet Boot.
• AN AWARD-WINNING DESIGNER: George Sully is a multidisciplinary designer at the vanguard of Canadian fashion and has won the CAFA Changemaker Award and the FGI Visionary Award, been named to the SHIFTER Magazine Outstanding Black Men in Canada list, awarded a George Brown honorary degree in brand design, and inducted into the BATA Shoe Museum.
• BLACK DESIGNERS OF CANADA (BDC): In 2020, Sully founded BDC, Canada's first-ever all-inclusive index of Canada's Black designers. He details that work in this book, making it an essential read for young creatives of color and anyone determined to carve out a space in competitive and often gatekeeping industries.
• INNOVATION: Sully celebrates the joys of innovation and entrepreneurship that he's seen and accomplished.
