John Fluevog has been designing quirky, funky, chunky shoes and boots for more than thirty years, and his designs have developed something of a cult following in Canada and elsewhere. Sometimes punk, sometimes disco, sometimes goth, always distinctive, Fluevogs are characterized by unusual shapes and materials, humourous inscriptions on the liners and the soles, and the occasional presence of tiny angels.

Frustrated with the limited choices of shoes available to him at the time, Fluevog began creating his own designs in the late sixties, and opened his first retail store in Vancouver, British Columbia with his partner Peter Fox in 1970. Fluevog bought Fox out ten years later -- the agreement was amicable and the men are still friends -- and proceeded to open John Fluevog stores in Seattle (1985), Boston (1987), Toronto (1989), New York City (1992), San Francisco (1997), Chicago (1999) and most recently Melbourne, Australia (1998). The company also sells shoes through its web site, shipping worldwide both to individuals and to retailers in cities that don't have a John Fluevog store of their own. The shoes themselves are made at small factories in rural Poland and Portugal; only a few hundred pairs are made at a time, and designs are not carried over from year to year. Fluevog himself does some custom work out of his shop in Vancouver as well.

(I bought my first pair of Vogs at the Toronto store the week it opened, and I still have them. Pointy shoes were all the rage, and I still have something of a weakness for them despite the fact that they force me to go up stairs sideways.)

Since 1993, most Fluevogs have been fitted with Angelic Soles, which bear impressions of nine trumpet-blowing angels along with the famous inscription: "Resists Alkalai, Water, Acid, Fatigue, Satan. Hevea Tree Latex. Walk in Peace." Interviews with John Fluevog seem to suggest that he is serious about putting blessings on shoes. He makes sure that the soles are both biodegradable and replaceable, and he donates a percentage of the money from shoe sales to children's charities.

Fluevogs are beloved by such celebrities as Kim Gordon, Robin Williams, Perry Farrell, and Lady Miss Keir. Madonna also models a pair of pink platform Fluevogs in the movie "Truth or Dare", but please don't hold that against John.

http://www.fluevog.com