DECEMBER/JANUARY 2020 BCBUSINESS 21
b y N I C K R O C K E L
p o r t r a i t b y E V A A N K H E R A J
JOHN FLUEVOG IS A TRUE
ORIGINAL: A CELEBRATED
SHOE DESIGNER WHO HAS
KEPT HIS INDEPENDENT
RETAIL BUSINESS GOING FOR
50 YEARS. DON'T EXPECT THE
CREATOR OF KICKS LIKE THE
PILGRIM, THE MINI AND THE
ANGEL TO PUT HIS FEET UP
ANYTIME SOON
In his long jacket and tall black
boots, John Fluevog still looks every bit the
dandy who started making his mark on
the fashion and retail worlds five decades
ago. He glides down into the showroom of
his gorgeous, high-ceilinged flagship store
in Vancouver's Gastown, where the back
stairs lead to a workshop for shoe designs
that keep on coming to him.
Fluevog opened this location in 2008, in
the same neighbourhood where he and for-
mer business partner Peter Fox launched
their first store back in 1970. His epony-
mous company is a global brand, with 27
locations in Canada, the U.S., Europe and
Australia. Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Jack
White are just a few of the celebrities who
have sported his quirky, distinctive, reason-
ably priced and well-made shoes and boots.
