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When Amber Walker met Ron Dutt, her collection of Fluevog Shoes numbered exactly four pairs.
Now, that number has multiplied. By a factor of 10.
“I just bought my 40th this year,” Walker says of the Vancouver footwear brand’s creations. “And we’ve known each other for not quite two years.”
Walker, a Metro Vancouver professional in recruitment and development, recalls purchasing her first pair of Fluevog shoes 20 years ago. That was right around the time Dutt, an automotive mechanic, was starting his own collection. Combined, the couple’s assemblage has since expanded to an impressive 125 pairs (40 for her, 85 for him).
“Once you start, it’s hard to stop,” Walker says with a smile of their shared shoe-collecting habit.
With their collection edging well over 100 pairs, the duo admits to attempting to adopt a “bring one in, let one go” approach. But, they have recently moved into a new townhouse with enough space to make one room into a full closet for their shoes.
Dutt says that in addition to appreciating the craftsmanship of the footwear, what draws him most to Fluevog Shoes is the way they make him feel.
“They fit into my life and how I want to express myself,” Dutt says. “To this day, I wake up like, what do I feel like? I’m really feeling those. Then I’ll make my outfit around that.”
Asked whether wearing Fluevog Shoes requires confidence, or wearing Fluevog Shoes gives you confidence, Dutt was quick to answer: “It’s both.”
After meeting online, the couple recalls how the shoes became an early theme in their relationship. Dutt showed up to their second date wearing a pair of heeled boots.
Walker recalls thinking: “Huh?”
“Because, you know, I’m still getting to know him. And I was like, those are very bold shoes for a second date,” she says.
Walker’s acceptance of the unique footwear choice, so early in their relationship, was taken as a sign of their true potential.
“When you meet somebody who accepts you in whatever you’re wearing, it’s like, OK, she’s cool,” Dutt shares. “You get to that age where you’re like, you are yourself now. And you don’t care what anybody else thinks, to a certain extent. I’m going to wear these because I like them.”
Walker said their shared love of shoes means there’s almost always room for something new.
“He’s never going to be like, ‘Do you need another pair of shoes?’” she says. “Instead, he’s going to be like, ’You need those in red, too.’”
A very Fluevog wedding
To say the couple bonded over their mutual appreciation for the funky brand’s footwear designs might be an understatement. Their connection to the Fluevog community — referred to by insiders as ‘Fluevogers’ — is so strong, they got married in front of them this fall.
Connecting primarily on the Flummunity group on Facebook, the international community of Fluevog fans regularly shares buy/sell threads, features new designs, offers leads on secondhand pairs spotted in stores, and generally shares appreciation for all things Fluevog.
“The Flummunity is a place where everyone is welcome to choose love, be thankful, embrace peculiarity, walk in peace, and talk all things Fluevog. We salute all unique souls,” says the public page, which has more than 14,900 members.
Once a year, Fluevogers can gather in person for the Flummunity Fest, an event that includes speaker panels, parties and, of course, lots of shoes. The event — held in Vancouver on Oct. 18-20 at the Fluevog stores in Gastown and Kits, and the The Permanent at 330 W Pender St. — was the setting for Walker and Dutt’s nuptials, which were kept a secret from both the fans of the brand — and the friends of the couple — until the actual ceremony.
“Nobody knew,” Walker says, noting there were approximately 100-150 guests in attendance. The event was also live-streamed online through the Fluevog YouTube channel. “The day itself is a bit of a blur for me,” Walker admits with a laugh.
When the bride-to-be first pitched their Fluevog festival wedding to the company’s chief marketing officer, Stephen Bailey, he immediately fell in love with the idea.
“We knew that Ron and Amber were longtime, dedicated Fluevogers, and they were so well-loved by the community it was a perfect fit,” Bailey says. “Flummunity Fest is such a positive celebration of the Fluevog community, it made sense immediately.
The couple’s wedding isn’t the first time Fluevogers have married during the community celebration. Founder John Fluevog officiated at another wedding during Flummunity Fest in the brand’s Portland store five years ago.
“They’re still married and attended this wedding,” Bailey adds of that union.
The Fluevog team, along with Walker and Dutt, were able to keep the ceremony a surprise — that is, until Walker appeared in her white dress and white Fluevog heels with organza ribbon detailing.
“The roar from the crowd at that point would suggest attendees were pretty excited,” Bailey recalls, adding that he’s confident this latest wedding won’t be the last. Especially not as the media coverage of the wedding included at story in The New York Times.
While they’d considered a low-key wedding at city hall, Walker and Dutt have no doubt their unconventional shoe store wedding was the right way to go. The outpouring of positive reaction from their fellow Fluevogers, friends and fans has left the couple astounded.
“That’s the best part of life, when it takes you to a direction that you never thought you’d go,” Dutt says. “And you find yourself totally happy.”
