FLUEVOG - John Fluevog

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family comprises the lace-up

      Tardy and Procrastinator, and the

      easy slip-on Nap with its no-non-

      sense crepe soles. “Let it go!”

      HOPEFUL

      Lower block heels that mix a

      polished dreamboat vibe with

      relaxed elegance. “F is for all

      things that give hope.”

      FUTURE ROUND TOE

      Easy to wear, one step forward,

      two steps fashion forward in

      these comfy kicks. “Know the

      future, decide well today.”

      WONDERS

      Curved lines, playful, elegant,

      classically inspired but

      completely original. “You are

      a natural wonder.”

      COSMOS

      Classic and flattering from every

      angle, with a signature Cosmos

      heel. “Created in the cosmos,

      worn on Earth.”

      POSER

      Posers are sweet and elegant,

      just like you on a first date.

      They’re cute and sleek, made

      with love, an hourglass heel and

      a kick of power. “Yes, you are.

      You’re super cute. I said so.”

      CHOICE

      Who doesn’t want choice in

      life? Wise yet frivolous, like the

      Adele, a low-heeled Mary Jane

      with specialty leather uppers and

      grosgrain ribbon lace. “To love

      or to hate, the choice is yours.”

      MISSION

      A Mary Jane with an angel

      sculpted into its rubber heel,

      the Wendy is named for my dear

      friend Wendy, who died too soon,

      but completed her mission in

      life. “A real feat for your feet.”

      BELLEVUE

      Named for grand dames like

      notable Texan gambler Lottie

      Deno and Ella Baker, an outspoken

      activist of the American civil rights

      movement. “Keep pushing west

      and beyond your imagination.”

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      Cheeky captions are the best. We had

      loads for this picture of the Seattle store

      but couldn’t decide, so we put them all

      into a hat and then lost the hat.

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      Because we make so few of

      each style, all our shoes are

      limited edition treasures.

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      The 1970s were a decade of upheaval in Vancouver—

      and in John Fluevog’s life. He’d finally started on his

      life journey in fabulous footwear, and along the way

      found love, and loss, and love again. He was ready to

      make history.

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      FOX &

      FLUEVOG

      1970–1979

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      WHEN I GOT HOME FOR CHRISTMAS OF 1969,

      I had no plan for the future or any idea of how I’d get

      one. It was grey and rainy and cold, the way Vancouver

      is in December, when one day I joined my parents at

      their church. It’s a good thing I did, because that was the

      day I met Peter Fox. And that would change everything.

      Peter was a friend of my parents, but more than that,

      he was the manager of Sheppard Shoes, the high-end

      men’s shoe store where everyone who mattered in

      town would shop. He was born in London, and was

      very cool, with his English accent, granny glasses and

      bespoke suits. He was an artist, too. He’d studied

      sculpture at art school in London in the 1950s and

      worked at Harrods’s shoe department, before coming

      to Vancouver. We got to talking and found that we

      shared a fascination with shape and line. As it turned

      out, he had the crazy idea of opening a menswear

      boutique—a cool one, not the same old tweedy stuff

      everyone else was selling, but not tie-dye and ponchos

      either—and he asked me, would I be interested in a job?

      Well, yes, of course I was.

      They tell me now that I seemed so arrogant back then,

      but it was because I was insecure. I’d drive Peter to

      work in my two-seater sports car, a 1953 MG TD, which

      was a vintage car even back then, and I’d be dressed

      in these super flashy clothes, like this double-breasted

      suede jacket I used to love. It was the hippie era, but

      I wasn’t a hippie. Well, maybe a little bit. I was a slick

      hippie, a bit of a dandy. My dad never approved of what

      I wore or what I did, though. Later he would come down

      to our store in Gastown and tell me I had the wrong

      shoes on and that I should wear a suit to work.

      The Sheppard’s clothing store made no sense at all,

      of course. It was upstairs from the Sheppard Shoes

      store so nobody could

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