Last summer I was staying at a friend’s house, and when we decided to go out to dinner I wished aloud that I had brought a nicer pair of shoes to wear. She offered me a pair out of her closet, and when I asked if she had any non-leather shoes I could borrow, she exclaimed, “I don’t wear plastic shoes!”*
Well, neither do I. Twenty or thirty years ago vegans may have been limited to what they could find at Payless, but now there are many breathable (and stylish!) faux leather and suede options. I thought it would be fun to show you most of the shoes in my wardrobe so you can see how easy it is to avoid leather. People like to think leather is “natural,” but 1, the tanning process is HORRIBLE for the environment, and 2, that whole “using all the parts of the animal” argument is complete baloney anyway. (Are you a 16th-century Native American? Well then.) When you put on a pair of leather shoes, you not only become a party to that environmental devastation, but you are also implicitly condoning needless cruelty.
I recommend shopping at an all-vegan shoe store like Sudo Shoes (Cambridge, MA), Moo Shoes (NYC), or Vegetarian Shoes (Brighton, UK) as opposed to DSW, since most of the DSW inventory isn’t cruelty free, and I’ve found the prices comparable at Sudo Shoes anyway. (Moo Shoes seems to be somewhat more expensive, but in fairness their rent must be through the roof.) I’ve never ordered from them, but Zappos has a vegan shoe section.
You may be wearing vegan shoes without even thinking about it—like Tevas in the summer or Bogs in the winter. (I own and love both. My Bogs boots kept my feet warm and toasty last winter, although not every boot style is vegan.) I also picked up a comfortable and very sturdy pair of Montrail running shoes from Sudo last year.
Let’s talk a bit about the environmental sustainability of leather alternatives. Kate Sheppard lays out the basic concern in this Mother Jones article:
The best I can discern from the label stamped inside of them is that they were made in China with “All Manmade Materials.” Most fake leathers are made of some kind of plastic product—which was almost certainly derived from petroleum. Some faux leathers are even made of polyvinyl chloride (better known as PVC), a product that contains, among other not-so-nice chemicals, phthalates.
Back to the plastic shoe conundrum! So yeah, if you buy a cheap pair of shoes from DSW, they’ll probably fail the sustainability test. That said, high-end vegan brands like Novacas (Spanish and Portuguese for “no cow”) claim to use eco-friendly vegetable leather:
What are the shoes made of?
We use the highest quality synthetic microfibers on the market for our footwear. Our synthetics stretch, breathe, and wear like leather and are completely PVC-free.
Are your shoes eco-friendly?
Our shoes never contain any PVC, which is often very toxic to the environment. Our materials do not contain any toxic products and, in case of fire, do not emit any toxic fumes. The materials we use are highly biodegradable. The uppers, whenever possible, are 100% biodegradable. The materials are produced in European factories known for using the highest environmental standards available in all of their manufacturing.
Even if you can’t afford a $100 pair of Novacas (and they are worth it!!), you might take comfort in the argument Jamey made during one of our vegan pow-wows at Sadhana Forest: while pleather shoes have one strike against them, he said, real leather footwear has two—environmental fail AND cruel to animals.
I suppose I should say that, for the record, I paid between $60-110 for most of the shoes I’m showing you in this post (though thanks to Sudo’s sales, I did get sweet discounts on some of them). As for durability, there is certainly a great deal of truth in the assertion that leather shoes last longer than their made-in-China-of-manmade-materials counterparts, but as with all things, you get what you pay for. A well made pair of vegan shoes can last a long time! (I still have a pair of one-inch heels I purchased at Moo Shoes in 2004, and the only reason I haven’t posted a picture is that I can’t find them in the infernal mess that is my closet.)
*It must be noted that my friend has since gone vegan! Woot woot!
Jennifer says
Thanks for this article! I find vegan shoe shopping to be a challenge, as I wear a US women’s size 12 shoe. I usually end up purchasing from Payless, as they go up to women’s size 13, and then men’s vegan sneakers for working out. I wish more all-vegan shoe companies offered larger sizes, I’ve written to them and they say there really isn’t a demand for them. ::sigh:: Sidenote, I love those tan oxfords you show from Moo Shoes– do you know the brand? Any tips for bigfoot vegans to find better quality shoes? 🙂 Thanks.
Camille says
hey Jennifer! That is SO frustrating. (I wear a size 10.) The Moo Shoes oxfords are Novacas brand, and because they are men’s, you should definitely be able to find them (or something very similar) in your size. Just checked their website and I see they still have this style (though brown, not gray):
http://www.mooshoes.com/men-s-shoes/oxfords-lace-up-and-loafers/dennis-in-brown-from-novacas.html
They have some other men’s styles I’d totally go for (thank you, vegan hipster dudes of the LES!) 😉
Hope this helps… <3
annie says
Arcopedico’s vegan line (prefixed with an “L”) is pricey but amazing, especially the tall boots. They’re made of some magic stretchy, breathy vegan material that looks exactly like leather (whether that’s a pro or con). Though they were $200, my boots are going on their 3rd year with no signs of wear. (They have some of this line on zappos, and also planetshoes, amongst other places).
Lisa Robinson Bailey says
I love that you got the Novacas men’s Oxfords! I just ordered those and two other pairs of “unisex” shoes from Moo Shoes. The women’s Novacas Oxfords and loafers were too narrow (especially the loafers). I’m having some problems with my knees and feet (middle age kicking in) and can’t wear a lot of the women’s styles because of the heel or due to a lack of arch support. I have three pairs of Arcopedico, but I find they aren’t supportive enough at the moment. Cute, though! I’ve had four pairs of Vegetarian Shoes (I’ve been vegan a long time 🙂 and they’ve been great–comfortable and long-lasting.
Camille says
Thanks for the comments, guys—I have to check out Arcopedico, especially since I haven’t had great luck with boots in terms of durability.
Kate says
These shoes are all super cute. Thanks so much for sharing.
Karen S says
Have you guys heard of coral8.com I have yet to order a pair but so far they are some of the cutest vegan shoes I’ve seen at reasonable prices. I don’t think spending 100 on a pair of shoes is crazy as long as you get wear out of them ans they are made well. But some vegan brands are $200-300 +
And the cheaper shoes well are cheap. Especially the soles for some reason. Whatever happened to rubber soles!
For me moo shoes has never been fruitful. I also busted my ankle two years ago and have to have the right support high heels or sneakers. So if I have to I have purchased leather
I don’t like it, but there needs to be better options, with good quality at decent prices. I need to be able to walk.
If I won some money it would go to starting a new vegan shoe company!
This is my one and only issue – shoes!!!
However I have found decent vegan shoes-
American eagle, B.O.C, rocket dog, naturalizer,new balance
Keen , famous footwear, dsw( sometimes)
Modcloth.com, lulus.com