John Fluevog Reflects on Overcoming Industry Challenges & Never Quitting
John Fluevog talks the highs and lows of the ever-changing shoe market over his 55 years in business.
John Fluevog has seen more of the ups and downs of the shoe industry than most.
The designer first started off in retail in 1970 as a partner in the Canadian shoe store Fox & Fluevog. Ten years later, he went out on his own and began producing his now-famous footwear line, known for avant-garde, quirky designs worn by generations of music and style icons, from Madonna and Alice Cooper to Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.
Now, though, may be one of the toughest times yet, he told FN last month.
“People are losing confidence in their leaders. People are losing confidence all around,” he explained, adding that it’s changed what customers want. “In the fashion world, there’s a simplicity that’s come into play, where they don’t want anything fancy or overdone, over-designed. I’m trying to put together this product that is all those things.”
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Last fall, for instance, he introduced his first sneaker — the DDFT Velocity Prism — a style for men and women featuring a multi-traction rubber sole and soft wool-blend knit upper. At $200, it hit a lower price point than his average range of $300 to $500 and departed from his typical aesthetic by offering an everyday wardrobe item.
Here, Fluevog opens up about taking career risks and finding unexpected creative talents.
Looking back, what were your biggest turning points?
“I had a couple of ‘aha’ moments that were born out of downturns in the business. I realized that if I didn’t start doing my own product, I didn’t have much of a hope to exist. And it didn’t seem very interesting to me just to be buying other people’s products and reselling them. I was selling so much Dr. Martens at one time, it frightened me. I realized that I was selling Dr. Martens, not John Fluevog. I made the bold move of stopping when they were selling. It started out of a really hard time financially and thinking, ‘What am I going to do now?’ So I took the bold move and did some really very unusual things, and [my shoes] sold.”
Were there other major challenges along the way?
“As the company grew, I had to let things go, and that’s a bit of a challenge, because you do something yourself, and of course, you think you can do it better than everybody else. As a small entrepreneur, growing and letting all these different sections go, that’s challenging.”
How do you think you’ve changed as a designer through the years?
“I never started this business thinking I was a designer. It never occurred to me that I could even design anything. I didn’t grow up in a design family. I’ve had no art background. In fact, I’ve never been to university. Big picture? The company has been a vehicle for me to understand myself and to understand my own creativeness. I say that to encourage others because I think we’re all far more creative than we think or believe. It’s been a big journey for me, and I don’t feel it’s over. In some ways, I’m just starting.”
What was your first shoe hit?
“A turning point for me was when I did my Angel soles. The messages and stories that I put into that
sole have helped fuel the company all these years.”
Why did you want to keep the company privately owned?
“I’ve looked around at other public companies with a bit of envy. But I never wanted people telling me what to do. I’m very happy that I don’t have any partners. I’m very happy I’ve never had money put in the company. If I was proud of anything, I’d say I’m proud of that. I’m also very proud that I’m probably the longest-standing retailer on Prince Street in New York.”
Was there ever a time you wanted to quit?
“One day I did. That was back in the 1980s, when I had that epiphany and I started doing my own shoes. That’s what changed it. When you start doing your own thing, it suddenly becomes very personal. I just kept running toward this thing the whole time and started to believe that what I was doing was of value and there was a place in the market. I didn’t think about stopping. I still don’t think about stopping. I don’t want to quit because, fundamentally, I really love what I do.”
