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Hello Le Cuoreans and new readers to our weekly blogpost. I hope you had a productive week and also an even better weekend ahead.
Today I will introduce to you Mr. John Fluevog. His shoes are known for their quirky sense of anti-fashion, patterns, heels and daring designs. His shoes are so unique that they have garnered a cult following that call themselves the “Fluevogers”.
Fluevog’s journey began with his passion for cars, which he is known to get his inspiration from for his designs. After a hitchhiking trip across the west coast, he began working at Sheppard Shoes in Vancouver. In 1970, he then started his own shoe store with his fellow co-worker Peter Fox called “Fox and Fluevog” in Gastown, Vancouver which ran for 10 years before they amicably decided to go their separate ways.
Fluevog then started his own shop in Seattle which he financed with part of the sale of his car. In the 1980s, he started the import of Dr. Martens shoes into North America and proceeded to expand his business into four more privately owned stores located in Vancouver, Boston, Toronto and New York. To date, he owns 19 stores in North America alone.
Upon the opening of his new Gastown store, he incorporated his design office as part of that store location, so his customers would be able to witness his design team live as part of his “green philosophy”. He coined it as the green philosophy as his design concept of the design office was created using eco-friendly and recycled materials.
His shoes began to catch the attention of big fashion magazines such as Vogue and also caught the attention of big-name fashion designers such as Anna Sui and Betsey Johnson who featured his shoes in their fashion shows. He has done numerous multiple collaborations but in 2002 he began an online site to allow anyone to submit shoe designs and if he selected any, he named the shoes after the designer and this was followed by 15 selected designs.
His non-conforming to fashion standards and never ending creativity has inspired a wonderful collection of shoes which was also a museum display at the Museum of Vancouver in September 2010. But fret not, you can still view his “Flueseum” online. Go check it out, I hope his designs will inspire your next pair of shoes.
Learning about Fluevog has shown me that designs need not conform to the latest trend or color. Fashion can be inspired and made beautiful from you if you don’t limit yourself, which turns back to our motto, “Be your own kind of beautiful”.
Enquire with us today on how you can begin your own journey with us.
XOXO
Le Cuore – IT
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