Anna Sui and John Fluevog.Illustration by Photo illustration by The Globe
Off Duty is a series of lively conversations with influential people, from CEOs to celebrities, on life, work and the art of taking time off.
One of the most viewed TikTok videos of renowned fashion designer Anna Sui’s work isn’t about her latest collection. In fact, the video dates back to her spring runway show in 1994.
Nineties it-girls Kate Moss, Tish Goff, Jenny Shimizu and musician Donovan Leitch sidled down the runway in kicky plaid minis and knit beanies and knee socks and Peter Pan collared shirts; Sofia Coppola, Matt Dillon and Anthony Kiedis sat front row; and the show’s closing act was a triumvirate of supermodel star power (Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington) in sparkly sheer white baby-doll dresses and pastel-dyed faux fur. It was all peak 1990s, a decade that continues to resurface on fashion mood boards.
It was also a decade when Sui met and started collaborating with Vancouver-born shoe designer John Fluevog. Their first, of what would be many collaborations, was the Munster shoe, a platform with a sharply angled hourglass-shaped heel that debuted on Sui’s runway in 1992, and was promptly embraced by fans like Lady Miss Kier (of Deee-Lite) and Madonna.
The pair could teach a masterclass in longevity having survived and thrived for decades in an industry constantly chasing what’s new, by staying consistent and true to their own, often outlier, always deeply quirky visions of style. Both Sui and Fluevog have seemingly built a devoted following by not following the traditional dictates of fashion. At a time when many of our decisions, sartorial and otherwise, are defined by the algorithm, that feels like a truly radical notion.
Do you remember how you two met?
Anna: We were trying to figure it out. I think it was through a mutual friend. We met and just clicked. I was planning a fashion show [Spring 1992] and John ended up doing these amazing hand-carved wooden clogs for me. He carved every pair that season and we did the uppers in my fabric.
John: And we also introduced the Munster heel, which was an instant hit with so many people. Other designers at that point weren’t really focusing at all on footwear and we were able to take Anna’s themes and fabrics and make shoes especially for her. The matching head-to-toe was a big statement at the time.
The nineties were a definitive moment for both of you.
Anna: It was the beginning of globalization and there was a lot of talk about New York taking over from Europe as the centre of fashion, which was really exciting. It was a turning point for a lot of people. Music went alternative, movies went alternative and so did fashion.
The nineties, and even Y2K, revival is in full swing. Why do you think that era is resonating?
Anna: Everything is so corporate now and manufactured and influencers and audiences are paid. Back then it was just very natural, and when you talk to younger generations, they can’t believe it.
John: Fashion was a community, and I had my tribe among the people that shopped at my store and that I would see walking around New York.
How have you both been able to maintain such distinct creative visions in a sea of sameness?
Anna: I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing but we have both always remained independent and never got bought by a bigger corporation. That allowed us to be really creative for many, many years and it still allows us to do that. And of course we have schedules to keep but I think that once you get under that corporate umbrella you have to follow rules.
John: It’s so true. I’ve never had a boss in my life. I’ve never had anybody tell me I couldn’t do this or I couldn’t do that and I think Anna’s the same way. I do things because I feel like doing it, not because they’re going to produce ‘x’ amount of dollars. It’s our individualism that makes us who we are and we need to cherish it and hang onto it and not just follow every little trend that comes along.
There’s always been a real sense of playfulness and joy to your work. It looks like you’re still having fun with all of it.
Anna: Growing and expanding your business is much more difficult now because it’s such a different time. That part isn’t as fun because you have to be more strategic, whereas before, it all just kind of happened. But we still love what we do. It’s what we both feel like we were born to do. It’s a natural thing.
John: I echo that. And I’d also add that I even still love seeing new products, new samples that I’ve designed when they come in. I open up the box and it still feels so exciting. I’ve been doing this for 55 years, whatever this is, and I still get off on it, which is great.
The heightened interest in vintage has reignited interest in both of your older work. Do you feel like people are looking at vintage differently or wearing it differently?
Anna: I think it’s a different objective. Vintage is a holy grail. People now have a specific idea of what they want; like I want that blue blouse from 1996 that I saw in that music video. They have an exact thing that they want and the quest is how to get it. When we were shopping vintage at a younger age it was about discovering things, now it’s a mission.
The butterfly motif that shows up in your latest collaboration is a remake of a design from the 1990s. Have you both been plumbing your archives for inspiration?
Anna: For me it’s my nieces. They are all in their twenties and every holiday they end up coming to dinner wearing their mom’s clothes. And I’m always like, where did you find that? Oh, in the back of my mom’s closet, they say. So my nieces have been requesting that we redo these butterfly boots that we had done in pastel colours back in the 1990s. When I was working on my resort collection I realized that it would be really great to do them in denim.
John: I don’t mind revisiting things because they were good back then and they can be good now. I like to think that the pieces that I do are just good on their own and always will be because they have their own sensibility, their own energy.
You may not be chasing trends but you’ve certainly courted the interest of Gen Z.
Anna: I think they’re drawn to the authenticity and the realness and the fact that we aren’t doing a manufactured thing. In the nineties, we were coming out of the eighties and all that power dressing and a corporate feeling. The music changed and it wasn’t the big record labels anymore; from heavy metal that was all manufactured to really authentic bands from smaller towns. I think that stuff is all very romanticized now and people love that authenticity again.
I hope that authenticity wins out over the algorithm!
John: Wouldn’t that be the dream, right?
This interview has been edited and condensed
