Opus Hotels The Porter Shoe by John Fluevog

Yesterday evening, Montreal Fashion Minds attended the launch for a very unique new partnership between Opus Hotels and internationally renowned Canadian shoe designer, John Fluevog.

The designer has created ‘The Opus Hotels Porter Shoe’, a two-tone black & pink oxford, exclusively for the trendy hotel. The shoes will be showcased in the Opus Hotel lobbies and will be worn by valets, and male guest service associates at both the Vancouver and Montreal locations. They will additionally be featured on the hotel’s mini bar menus.

“As we went back and forth, it was clear that the ideal shoe would be sharp, classy and well made, but also have a little bit of cheek. The shoe’s pink upper lets the guests know that their stay and the service will be of the highest quality, but it’s still alright to relax and have a wink of fun here and there” ~ John Fluevog

We first spotted these stylish oxfords at Helmer’s show at Montreal Fashion Week, and thought they were great! The classic style, with a fresh punch of pink make for a fun, trendy shoe.

We sipped some Alizé, as we walked around the Opus hotel’s presidential suite, checked out the shoes, and mingled with the fashion crowd. We spotted some of our fellow fashion bloggers, like Carrie MacPherson from Zurbaines, and the lovely Audrwey from Jeans and Stilettos. Denis Gagnon was also in attendance, chatting design with Mr. Fluevog.

We later had a chance to talk with the shoe designer to discuss his collaboration with Opus Hotels. We asked how this original collaboration came about, and he explained to us, that he used to frequent the Opus hotel during his travels and ended up working very closely with Opus hotel owner, John deC Evans, to come up with this new concept. While Fluevog does not participate in much collaboration, he thought this one was unique - which reflects his design style. He also felt that the two brands had a lot in common, and that they would work well together.

Fluevog continued to tell us about his inspiration, and where he gathers it. He explained that he is not one to chase after trends. Instead, he prefers to gather his inspiration from within. He said that he gets to know himself better, and follows his heart. He feels that if he is true to himself, and designs to express himself, that he will succeed. He continued to say that his inspiration also derives from his every day life, as well as his dreams, and he simply takes note.

Fluevog also told us how he likes to keep his customers involved with the brand. He explained that on his website, there is a section called ‘FluevogCreative’ where anyone can design and submit their own Fluevog ad, and have the chance to win a $1000 gift certificate for Fluevog Shoes, a personal bio on ‘FluevogCreative’ and thir artwork, name and URL will be printed in a number of classy magazines for the world to see. Even if you’re not design inclined, you can still go on the website and vote for your favorite ad!

In addition, there is a section on the website called ‘Open Source Footwear’ where you can submit your own shoe designs with the possibility of Fluevog producing them. They give you a change to make your ideas become a reality! We think these are both great concepts to really get customers involved in the brand, and feel like they can be apart of something bigger then themselves. Success can be just a click away!

After our lovely conversation with Mr Fluevog, we decided to say goodbye and head out. On our way, the gentleman at the door took a moment to pose for us in his new fab new Fluevog shoes!

We then headed to Ben & Jerry’s for their annual ‘Fee Cone Day’ for some ice cream!

What’s better then ice cream, except FREE ice cream??

We had two cones of ‘half baked’ – chocolate & vanilla ice cream with fudge brownies and chocolate chip cookie dough. Mmmm....Heavenly! What a wonderful way to end the day!