My New-to-Me Love-It-Forever Shoe Brand—Fluevogs

Q. John Fluevog, where have your shoes been all my life?

A. We’ve been at 302 Newbury Street in Boston since 1987. Sorry you haven’t noticed.

Q. Me, too!

I can’t remember how I happened upon the Fluevog website. But when I clicked on “Shop, ” I saw the magnificent words “Unisex Styles.” That's code for shoes made to men's quality standards, but that women can wear (see my previous rant). I barely avoided swooning and somehow managed to click through.

And, along with the predictable “unisex” items such as belts and bags, I saw fourteen—14!—unisex styles. Wow. This was much more than the typical “let’s pretend these shoes are unisex so we can sell more” marketing ploy. So excited that I could barely breathe, I clicked on “About Fluevog.”

As I read, I started falling in love with the company. “About” shares helpful facts such as:

• Their Angel shoes have Satan-resistant powers (“You’re wearing Angels right now, right? Look around – do you see him?”)
• John Fluevog and God design the shoes (“Sometimes they fight over who’s head designer.”)
• “All our styles are shoe repair friendly, which means that any local shoe cobbler in your area should be able to do repairs for you.”)
• Lionel Hampton played vibes with Benny Goodman’s big band between 1936 and 1940

Sigh. Swoon.

And the FAQ, the FAQ. OMG. It’s… so… info-rich, so… full of questions that actual customers have asked, rather than the usual company-centric marketese.

• Do any of your boots fit larger calves? Can the calves be stretched? “We try our best to have a boot for everyone, and will always carry boots that run narrow, and some that run wide.... Some boot shafts can be stretched up to 2 inches.... For a better idea ... contact a Fluevog store directly.”
• What size should I order? How does this style run? “…the best ... is to contact a Fluevog store directly. They ... can best describe the fit to you over the phone or via email.”
• When are you getting the boot restock back in? “[Winter styles are] first arriving in August/September and restock arriving in November/December. Spring stock does not contain boots... arrives in February and is restocked in April/May.” Transparency! It equals happiness! At least for me.
• About the Materials and Production. The production seems… so… ethical! “Our shoes are designed in Vancouver, Canada... Roughly 60% of our shoes are made in Portuguese factories, some we have been working with for over ten years. We also use factories in Mexico, Peru, China, and Vietnam…. [O]ur factories fully comply with the Labour Law of the PRC act of 2007 (also known as the Worker’s Rights Act of 2008). This brings all of our factories in line with “Western” labour standards, and is checked regularly.”
  

After my husband threw a glass of cold water on me and helped me breathe into a paper bag, I went back to the styles. Brandenburg was the first Unisex style, and I clicked on it.



O.M.G.

These are the shoes I was whining about in my last post. Traditional oxfords/brogues (I haven’t learned the finer distinctions of traditional shoe styles yet, but I know they’re not derbys*) that women can wear! John Fluevog says so! I can buy and wear shoes that won’t go out of style! I have permission from a shoe manufacturer! (Don’t get me started on whether and how women—i.e., I—can find long-lasting, value-laden clothing. That’s a whole other neurosis—er, post.)

*The laces on Oxfords/brogues are set into the vamp. The laces on derbys are set into a piece of leather that’s attached to the vamp. So saith Wikipedia.

I bashed the “Contact: Fluevog Stores” button. Although I didn’t have much hope. Really good brands tend to live in NYC, not Boston. OMG, they have a store in Boston. OMG. Newbury Street. OMG! I’d be in Boston the next day! I wrote the address into my planner. And immediately started worrying about the attitude of a hip shoe store on Newbury Street. Would they even let me in the door?

But no worries. For starters, Fluevog is at the Hynes end of Newbury Street, home of the less intimidating stores and restaurants. It’s a walk-down into a teensy store chock-full of gorgeous, gorgeous shoes. Shoe heaven. I avoided fainting, but I think I fondled every pair. Oh, and gorgeous bags and belts. And a glass case of Meltonian shoe polish: polishable leather = long-lasting leather.

I tried on the Brandenburg Light and lapped the store several times. Leather soles—leather!—that slipped a little on the carpet and made me daydream about scuffing the sole on the pavement and the other pleasures of breaking them in. Not that they needed much breaking in. Really good fit. Soft, supple leather. I could feel the individual pieces of leather that made up the shoe, which spoke to their design and hands-on manufacture, but nothing was tight or rubbed or scraped. But, to tell the truth, I felt a little too… butch in them.

“Do you have other styles like this?” I asked Jessamy, the Newbury-Street-styled-but-totally-non-attitude sales assistant. “Sure!” she said and disappeared into the back. She brought out two more boxes. One was a buckle-on Swordfish. (Can’t find it on the website, or I’d link to it.) Not quite the right fit. The other was Lois, a women’s oxford style with heels.



Let’s face it, I’m short. I need a heel. And they felt faboo. I had to have them. I could feel my credit card itching in anticipation.

I told Jessamy that I was going to buy them… but, le sigh, not today. They’d be my getting-a-job present. She was totally cool and wrote the info on a Fluevog business card specifically designed to note the exact pair you wanted. You know, so you can save up before buying.

And speaking of saving up, let’s talk about price. Fluevogs aren’t cheap. They run about $250 a pair. This is way more than I'm used to paying, which is usually about $40 for a pair of department-store sale shoes that I hope don't hurt too much.

But I think Fluevogs are worth the money, for several reasons.

• The brand is run by a person, not a corporation.
• The factories put people to work and appear to be ethically run.
• The shoes are well made, using high-quality materials and manufacturing techniques, are repairable, and are otherwise built to last.
  
• They’re REALLY comfortable, even at first wearing.
• And the designs I’m most interested in buying are based on classic designs and won’t go out of style.

So I’m buying Lois as soon as I get a job. I think I’ve found my forever shoe brand.

And by the way, John Fluevog, you had me at “Unisex”—the code word for high-quality shoes for women.