Vegans and other ethically minded people now have it much easier when finding synthetic alternatives to leather. Vegan and more ethical fashion is revolutionizing the industry, as more and more people are demanding animal-friendly eco styles.
Now, Mainstream brands such as Toms, Vans, Dr. martens and Etnies have all created their own vegan style line, making finding ethical alternatives for your feet a breeze.
On your next shopping spree however, don’t just look out for the leather symbol, as many large retailers are still using animal derived glues, so even non-leather shoes may not be vegan.
List of high street retailers joining the trend and selling vegan-friendly shoes:
- Brooks; only their running shoes
- Marks & Spencers offer a wide range of non-leather and synthetic shoes. However, they claim they are unable to guarantee they are vegan, but maybe a bit of prompting will encourage them to apply for that vegan trademark
- Next produce a good range of non-leather shoes which all don’t use animal derived glues
- Sketchers
- Vans
- Zara; although not all of their shoes are vegan, they claim that about half of their range are made with products not from animal origins
Of course, off the high streets, there are a good range of online retailers stocking vegan alternatives; Wills Vegan shoes, Beyond Skin and Eco Vegan Shoes are just a few.
And if you wanted to be even more ethical, as well as grabbing a great bargain, check out your local charity stores to help crack down of the huge amount of textile waste in the UK.
