You asked, John answered! Thanks to everyone who submitted a question for John, he had so much fun reading and answering them. From his favourite sketchbook and where he finds inspiration, to his thoughts on frogs and his ideal superpower, here are John’s responses to just some of your burning questions!
If you still have questions that are keeping you up at night, you can always ask them here and John might just answer them in the future. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to know when he does!
About the Shoes
What is your favourite colour combination for shoes, laces included? Thank you very much for making my life more cheerful!
I tend to like hues of greens, light blues, and pinks, but I also like black (always with a little dash of colour).
What is your favourite shoe of all time from your collections?
Well, all of my shoes are my children and I don’t love any one more than the other, but the feeling and energy around certain shoes mean different things to me. The messages behind my shoes reflect what I was going through when I designed them. For example, I recall a shoe called Frugal, which only got its name because that’s what Fluevogers in the East End of London would say everytime they tried to pronounce “Fluevog”. So, there you have it!
Do you actually ever bring back older styles of shoes? There's an area on your page where we can suggest them, but I've never seen any come back? The Minis for example, especially the Bunny.
We bring them back here and there. Speaking of the Mini, this spring we had a new version of the Lolly.
Why do some styles never return? On all the forums, the Queen Transcendent Elizabeth is a hot commodity. In 2013, when I first spotted them, I fell in love with the burgundy colour and with Fluevog and decided when I was done my degree to become a teacher, I would get them as a gift to myself. The first one I was planning to allow myself ever! By then it was too late. They were sold out. I've been looking for my size in a used pair ever since!
Don’t give up.. the Queen may come back.
Will you bring back any women's boots with spats? I love that style!
Hmm, maybe.. maybe not.. let’s wait and see.
About the Process
Do you keep a sketchbook?
Oh, yeah I do!
What type of pens/papers/products do you use for your manual sketching and designing? Love everything I've purchased so far and definitely more to come.
For someone who will draw on anything around them, I do in fact have a preference. It’s a sketchbook called Flexi-Sketch in an odd 8×8 inch size. I started using this book a few years ago and now have 10 to 15 of them, all filled up and stacked up on a shelf.
What/who inspires your designs?
This is a beautifully difficult question to answer. It’s a spiritual answer: they come to me. I see them floating by and I grab them and jot them down before they disappear. Sometimes, they’ll wake me up at night and in the morning I’ll find a rough sketch on a piece of paper, but then the idea will come back to me and I’ll sort out the drawing. One could say it’s not me. I’m only a conduit. Also, I have a team around me that gets me inspirited and adds value and direction.
Where do you get your inspiration for your designs?
They find me. All I have to do is grab them as they float by.
Are you the only designer at Fluevog or do you have others on staff?
I have a team and what a pleasure they are! As I write this, one of them is visiting our factories in Portugal. I can no longer always maintain a close relationship with all of our factories so my team helps with that. They also do an excellent job of picking out materials and accessories for our collections.
Have you ever been bored? If so, what did you do about it? If not, how do you keep up your creativity?
I think we all need some downtime, but it’s important to not get stagnant. I need to press on. Looking past where I am at the moment and dreaming about making and doing things gets me out of my boredom.
Being a fashion icon, where do you draw your inspiration? And secondly, what era of fashion is your personal favourite?
I like the early 30s. Designs from the 50s-60s really took on a life of their own and showed up everywhere. Such attention to detail. I love that.
About MOTORCYCLES & CARS
My husband loves your motorcycle and wants to know what Moto Guzzi you're on in that main picture?
It’s a 2013 V7. I did the checkered paint job as a project during the Covid pandemic.
No question, just wanted to say I love the Moto Guzzi.
Me too. It’s so motorcycle-ish.
Stylistically, what do you think is the greatest car ever designed?
Probably a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C from the late 30s. It looked like speed standing still.
Have you ever driven a Triumph TR3? If so, was it fun? (It's my first sports car crush—what can I say?)
I sure have. I’ve taken one completely apart with my father when I was 12 years old. Every nut and bolt.
About HIMSELF
If you were not John Fluevog, the Canadian shoe god, what would your profession be?
Making, creating, and building spaces that one can live in.
If you could only eat one cuisine for the rest of your life what would it be?
There’s this Korean spicy fish stew called maeuntang that I love!
What scares you the most?
Having no ideas.
You live and work and play in beautiful places on this planet. Where is your most favourite place to walk and enjoy nature?
Yes, I live in the Pacific Northwest on the beach. Walking in virgin forests and by the ocean never gets tiring.
Do you live in a shoe?
Yes.
Thoughts on frogs? 🐸
Never been a huge frog guy myself. I think they’re best in a pond though.
What did you do for Canada Day?
Went for a walk in the forest and then on the beach.
I love gardening. I especially love flowers. If you were a flower, which flower would you be and why? Hugs.
Something very common like daisies because they are everywhere and bring joy to everyone. They’re the simple pleasures of life.
What were you like as a child?
How would I know… I was a kid! I was mainly left alone, but I’d say I always felt loved. Even in my late 20s, I always knew that if things got rough I would have a home to go back to. I felt secure and loved.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Poor me, I don’t even know what a woodchuck is!
When you're not designing shoes for us fans, what do you like to do in your downtime? Do you have a hobby?
A hobby of mine is reshaping cars.
So, what about lake swimming? Do you love it? That existential/infinite/eternal/mind-bending summertime feeling.
I hate being cold.
If you could have any super power, which would you choose to possess?
To be like Freddy the Fluedog and be super helpful and know what people need before they do.
If you ever feel down, what cheers you up?
Ha, what a question. Yes, I do feel down sometimes. For me, the best way to deal with it is to ask what my job is here on Earth. When I see that it’s not all about me and that it’s about working together to make the world a better place, I get out of my funk and get on with it. We have all been made for a purpose. The best thing to do is to flow in it and not fight it.
Given your groovy designs, who are your favourite musicians? Which albums inspire you most?
I love all music. It’s such a gift to all of us. I like jazz mostly. The improvisation within a structure and the beauty of when the soul and talent of a musician is realized is one of the things that makes life more whole for me.
What was your favourite decade for shoe designs?
It has more to do with what I was going through rather than a specific decade. When I look back, it’s the hard times and the shoes I designed during those times that are the most special to me.
What Fluevog footwear have you personally worn the most?
I’m strange in that I only have a few shoes at a time and tend to wear them out.
About the Company
When will we get a Fluevog store in Switzerland?
I should probably visit Switzerland first! I’ve been to Lake Garda in Italy, but that’s the closest I’ve come.
Where is your factory in Portugal?
North and south of Porto.
Do you still have art contests to enter a design and name for your shoes/boots? There happened to be one a few years back and I wanted to enter, but I couldn't find a drawing of a boot I did when I was a child. Well, I recently did. Just wondering and thank you so much!
We do! It’s called Open Source Footwear. I look forward to seeing your design.
How do I get a job working with you?
Be kind and be open, but you also have to apply! You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket.
I'm curious, and hopeful, about which charities you support. There's so much good to do in this world, and so many people needing help.
I couldn’t agree more. I believe in giving back to the community and one way that we do that is by hosting various non-profit events in our stores and donating 50% of the sales made that day. We’ll also often donate proceeds from special products such as collaboration shoes, to charities that are near to our hearts (too many to list here).
As much as I love Fluevogs, the planet has way too much clothing consumption. What are you doing to help our sustainability and climate crisis?
That’s something on our minds all the time. First, we strive to create products that don’t go out of style—things you can wear 10 years from now that will still look fresh. Next, we are always on the lookout for materials that are kinder to the planet. One of the biggest issues we face is shipping around the world. We try, whenever we can, to use boats rather than planes. I think we could do even more though and are working to to get better at it.
