The name John Fluevog is legendary in Vancouver, practically synonymous with our rainy city as Douglas Coupland and Seth Rogan. And like all legends, his footwear is adored and revered by locals and celebrities alike. Just take a peek at Fluevog’s website to see why; specifically, the Flueseum page. Here you’ll find a pictorial history of the brand’s more outstanding designs, and one thing becomes clear – this guy has a vivid imagination and a lively sense of humour.
This year the self-professed “Hardest Working Man in Shoe Business” held his annual sample sale on November 19th at the flagship store in Gastown. The first thing I love about this sale is the opening hours – unlike most other sample sales which begin in the middle of the afternoon and end at 6 or 7pm, this sale starts at 5pm and continues until 11pm! No need to sneak out of the office early and fight with rush hour traffic to run panting to the doors before they close. Instead, you have the choice of sneaking out early to get first dibs, or you can take your leisurely time making your way to Gastown with hours to spare. You could even go home, shower, have dinner, and then head over to the store for some late-night retail therapy.
The second thing I love about this sale is the simple and clear pricing system. All shoes were $139, and all boots were $199. That’s it. No need to search for the price somewhere hidden on the shoe, or wrap your eyes around people trying to find the price list on the wall that sets out what the purple circle sticker means. Besides funky footwear, Fluevog has also branched out into handbags and belts which were also discounted. These accessories did have the colour coding price list, which made sense as a belt and a large leather bag are obviously going to cost differently.
For those of you who missed this legend’s sample sale, you will have to wait another 364 days for the next one, alas. Don’t despair, however, as Fluevog does hold other smaller sales throughout the year.
Words + Photos by Aurora Chan
Style by Fire 