As part of the exhibition “50 Years of Sole: A History of Fluevog: Honouring a Vancouver Icon,” presented by The David Lam Management Research Library and Canaccord Learning Commons, Rare Books and Special Collections, and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at UBC Library, we are delighted to share profiles of Fluevogers at UBC, and some snapshots into their shoe collections.
Siobhán McPhee is a senior instructor in Geography and conducts educational research in the areas of location-aware technologies, augmented reality, and alternative methods of knowledge mobilization especially with application to the internationalization of pedagogy. Her geography-specific research focuses on experiential learning in the discipline and to labour geography in the context of newly emerging global cities.
When did you get your first pair of Fluevogs? What were they?
I got my first pair of Fluevogs when I first arrived in Vancouver in 2013 and I still wear them at least once a week!
What do Fluevogs mean to you?
I cannot begin to express how much I love Fluevog shoes. The two most important things for me is that they are pieces of art and not just shoes, and the second thing is that they make big sizes for women!
Any interesting stories behind your Fluevogs?
Taking everyone who comes to visit me to see the shoes as if it is an art gallery or museum, and of course some of them have bought their own pair of fluevogs to take back with them.
How do you feel when you wear your Fluevogs?
I feel special like I am giving my feet a treat. I love all the compliments I get.
Can you tell us how many pairs you own?
Seven pairs! More than one for each year I have lived in Vancouver…
What is your favourite Fluevog? Why?
That is an impossible question to answer because each pair is unique and has their own personality. It really depends on how I am feeling and what I am wearing to which pair I choose to wear. I adore them all in different ways.
Photo courtesy of Siobhán McPhee