If you were with us in stores or online on May 15th, you’re probably still reminiscing on this year’s Fluevog Day festivities. Since we can totally relate, we thought we’d make the wait until next Fluevog Day slightly more bearable by reminiscing on one of the highlights of this year’s Fluebulous event: The 10 Years of Free Shoes contest.
We sat down with the contest winner, Wiley and her partner Michele (and by sitting down, we mean we contacted them remotely while they undertake a wandering quest around Lisbon, Portugal) to bring you some insight into what it feels like to be the luckiest Fluevoger in the world.
How/when did you hear about Fluevog?
I think we first discovered Fluevog back in 2002 when Michele, my partner, got her first issue of Bust magazine. I believe she started showing me your ads whenever a new issue would arrive.
When did you enter the contest?
We both entered the contest in late April when we were visiting NYC to celebrate Michele’s 50th birthday. My gift to her to mark the occasion was a pair of Fluevogs (in addition to a few days in the city.) We had a FANTASTIC salesperson (shoutout to ALAN!), who convinced me to try on a pair just to enter the contest and increase our chances.
What was your immediate reaction when you heard you had won 10 Years of Fluevogs?
When I received the call, I was in complete shock. I think I thought I was being “punked” by a friend.
We had friends over for dinner, and normally I wouldn’t take a call, but the international number made me think it was the director of a program in Rotterdam for whom I have recently started working. I had completely forgotten that it was International Fluevog Day, the day the winner would be chosen.
When it really hit me, I ran into the living room. That’s when Michele and I started jumping up and down!
What are your Fluevog plans for the next 10 years?
We have been fantasizing about all sorts of Fluevog plans. At the moment, we want to travel to as many stores in as many different locations each year to get our annual pair! We live in Boston, so that might be the first stop. We’re thinking maybe Vancouver in 2017. We are thinking about blogging about our road trips each year.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In our free time, Michele and I do quite a bit of traveling. We have a small travel trailer that we have taken cross-country. Michele is a painter and curator, so we make sure to visit museums and galleries when we are in new cities, but we mainly enjoy walking throughout new neighborhoods and towns. We know her Fluevogs will cover a lot of ground!
