Fluevog started out selling shoes—really cool
shoes—in the historic part of Vancouver known as
Gastown. He was the first to bring Dr. Martens to
Canada, maybe to North America. He was one of
the first to start selling shoes online, too. He tapped
into hippies and disco, punk and grunge and house.
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But he had an untapped artistic bent of his own, a love
of unusual shapes and lines and bold colours, and it was
only a matter of time before he started designing his own
shoes. You’ve seen them on Lady Miss Kier and Madonna,
on Alice Cooper, Jack White and Lady Gaga. You might
also have seen them on your lawyer, your doctor, your
dentist, on the person who teaches your kids music and
the barista who’s making cappuccino art at the hip new
joint in your neighbourhood.
Fluevogers are everywhere. They’re just not everyone.
John Fluevog is an astute businessman, but not a
conventional one. His journey to commercial success has
not been easy or straightforward. He has loved and lost,
hovered on the edge of bankruptcy more than once, and
even skirted the law to keep things afloat. Angels have
been there to help him when things have been particularly
hard. He believes it’s because his journey is not yet done,
that he has more to say, more to do.
Speaking of saying things. Many of his shoes come
with a message. The messages are the essence of John
Fluevog. They are a little bit corny, a whole lot heartfelt,
and a much-needed antidote to this most cynical of eras:
“Stay sharp!” “To love or to hate, the choice is yours.”
“Share your cool…increase your daily hugs.” “Reach for
the extraordinary.” “Don’t delay, Fluevog today.”
In conversation, John Fluevog unselfconsciously
scatters words like mystic, dreams, humanity, poems,
childlike, colour, shape, love, community and, above all,
faith and spirituality. He is a romantic who adores his
family and still gets starry-eyed when he remembers
a woman who walked into his store nearly five decades
ago. He wears his spirituality like a cozy cardigan, a
comforting layer that kept him warm when the world
was cold and now is just part of his everyday ensemble.
He has made money by quietly giving it away, supporting
people and causes that speak to his soul. His sole.
John Fluevog’s world—call it the Fluniverse, or maybe
Vogville—is unique. It has its own language. It has its
own international day (May 15—John thinks you should
celebrate with random acts of kindness). Its citizens come
from all walks of life, but none hews to the ordinary. It is
a world of happy colours, bold shapes and sensual lines.
It is a world where nothing is too ridiculous to try, where
comfort and wearability matter as much as how good
something looks. Goodness matters in the Fluniverse, and
kindness, and God, however you choose to define God.
John Fluevog began his journey fifty years ago when
he and Peter Fox opened a shoe store in a historic
Vancouver neighbourhood. And he’s just getting started.
This is his story.
— Joanne Sasvari, lifestyle journalist
“John and I started designing shoes the same year.
We both wanted to change the world in our own ways.
John designed shoes with a very strong point of view.
I respected John for his courage, his consistency,
his values, and always sticking to ‘his last.’ ”
ALDO BENSADOUN, FOUNDER, ALDO SHOES
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Celebrating International
Fluevog Day across the
country
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In the beginning there was
John Fluevog, grandson
of pioneers, exploring his
Vancouver backyard and the
great beyond. In the 1950s
and ’60s, he discovered his
love of cars, fashion and
music, and was ready to set
foot on his great journey
as a master shoe designer.
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