Vancouver can claim a multitude of fashion institutions. We brought the world Westbeach, Lululemon and as much as many would deny it, Gene Simmons’s fave denim brand, Dussault Appareal.

However, nobody has made quite the worldwide impact that pioneer extraordinaire John Fluevog has on the shoe landscape.

Celebrating 40 years of mind-blowing footwear this year, you know a Fluevog when you see it. There’s no specific design that you can latch onto — some Fluevog’s are gratuitous, see Madonna’s pink platform Fluevog’s in Truth or Dare. Some are casually subversive, like the simple black and red trimmed dress shoes I have, that also pack enough steel toe to be used as a weapon.

Fluevogs have made such an impact that even the usually a little stodgy Museum of Vancouver is celebrating with a Fox, Fluevog and Friends fashion retrospective. John Fluevog, Peter Fox and Ken Rice all started footwear companies in Vancouver’s swinging seventies and all of them made Vancouver fashion a powerhouse. For as much as we praise Vancouver’s art and culture, the fashion has always been where it’s at, even if nobody remembers it, so to see Fluevog at 40 is an exceptional site and with this exposition, you get to follow the path.