formal vegan shoes

[soniczip]

i was in brighton last week, and went to the vegetarian shoe shop. it's nice and although small, it has a good selection of styles.

the only thing, i was quite unimpressed by the look of formal shoes wich, in comparison to the leather ones, look quite crap. i'm not saying i'm going to buy leather ones instead. it's just that working in a shoe shop, i can see quite a big gap between vegan formals and leather formals, while vegan casuals stand well enough in front of leather casuals. maybe i don't know enough places where to buy vegan shoes. the few shops i browsed on the internet didn't impress me either.

what's your experience

[Rochellita]

www.bboheme.com

some stylish stuff there

[xJimx]

Not sure if they had them in stock when you visited, but I've got a pair of their Skyline Boots http://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/pc-109-6-skyline-boot.aspx. They look 'realistic' (I always have to show people the label before they believe they're synthetic) & they've lasted a long time.

I often have to wear a suit to work (manmade fibres of course!) and these shoes are definitely smart enough.

One word of caution if you do go for these: the sizes run large so I went down a size when I got mine.

[xrodolfox]

^ditto on the vegetarian shoes site!

I've got dozens of vegan shoes (I'm a male vegan imelda marcos, minus the whole greedy power thing). I *love* good vegan shoes.

Anyhow, I've got these on right now:



They aren't my most formal, but they work with most straight leg suit pants. I got those from here: http://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/ and they're in the UK!

My favorite shoes are the "casino boot", which is a square toe black ankle boot for men with a dress sole. Unfortunately, I can't find any pics, but it is very stylish. [edit, found pic!]

I also get shoes from www.mooshoes.com , which some AR friends from college run in NYC. That might run you a lot with shipping, though, but the have excellent styles that last a while and are 100% vegan.

I really want these:


Last but not least, when I'm in any mall, or city, I just make it a habit to look through some shoe stores and check the ingredients in shoes that I like. I've found more than 70% of my and my wife's shoes (we both buy vegan) just by chance. She's gotten these really nice slip-on dress shoes in Italy, I've gotten some really nice dress shoes in South America... all by chance, and all very cheaply. You will NOT find good vegan shoes at the first store you happen upon, but if you are patient, you will find more than enough selection if you are willing to wait a year or two for the perfect pair. I've got half a dozen "perfect pairs" now.

If you can't wait, then i strongly suggest you start ordering online now. I'm happy with what I've gotten.

[xJimx]

I had a couple of pairs of the Casino Boots in the past. Unfortunately the soles kept coming loose on both pairs after just a few months so I wouldn't buy them again.

The only real issue I've got with Vegetarian Shoes is that their staff are a bunch of spaced-out hippies and so the customer service is rather slack.

Last time I mail-ordered shoes from them it took them over a month to email me to say that the shoes i wanted were out of stock, & then they eventually sent me the wrong size anyway! Compare that to when I've ordered stuff from Vegan Essentials in the US & it's always arrived within a week.

[m_langlois01]

Are vegan shoes carried at mooshoes and vegetarian-shoes sweatshop free?

[xrodolfox]

Are vegan shoes carried at mooshoes and vegetarian-shoes sweatshop free?

I talked to the women who run Mooshoes, and some of their shoes are made in unions, while some aren't, and most they aren't sure of.

You can contact them about it, and they'll certainly be able to help. I know for a fact that the blackspot sneakers they sell are 100% vegan and union made. Those come large and narrow for their size, and aren't too great as "formal" shoes.

I don't know about vegetarian-shoes.co.uk but I do imagine that since many of their shoes are made in the UK, they might have a good idea if those products are made in UK sweatshops or union shops.

Eitherway, you'd have to call. I know that the Kubersiak sisters (who run Mooshoes) are really informed about the issue and can help you find shoes that work for you.

I had a couple of pairs of the Casino Boots in the past. Unfortunately the soles kept coming loose on both pairs after just a few months so I wouldn't buy them again.

Same thing happened to mine, but I just got staple and glue and fixed them permanently.

The only real issue I've got with Vegetarian Shoes is that their staff are a bunch of spaced-out hippies and so the customer service is rather slack.Last time I mail-ordered shoes from them it took them over a month to email me to say that the shoes i wanted were out of stock, & then they eventually sent me the wrong size anyway!

I had the same problem. I never order from vegetarian.co.uk shoes any more. They have the same shoes at so many other online vendors.

[m_langlois01]

I talked to the women who run Mooshoes, and some of their shoes are made in unions, while some aren't, and most they aren't sure of.

You can contact them about it, and they'll certainly be able to help. I know for a fact that the blackspot sneakers they sell are 100% vegan and union made. Those come large and narrow for their size, and aren't too great as "formal" shoes.

I don't know about vegetarian-shoes.co.uk but I do imagine that since many of their shoes are made in the UK, they might have a good idea if those products are made in UK sweatshops or union shops.

Eitherway, you'd have to call. I know that the Kubersiak sisters (who run Mooshoes) are really informed about the issue and can help you find shoes that work for you.

Thanks for the info, very appreciated I'll try contacting them next week

[Talyn]

I bought my vegan work shoes from http://www.veganwares.com

They are a company based in Melbourne, so I got to check out their shop in person. They also sell online and you can put in custom designs.

Now that I finally bought my digital camera, I took a snap of them....



I've had them for about 4 months now, and I have to say they are the most comfy, robust pair of business-like shoes I have ever had. I cannot recommend veganwares enough. Even if you don't live in Australia.

[xsheppox]

Yeah Veganwares is ace, my main shoes are a pair of their mules, comfy and sturdy, I usually go through shoes at a mile a minute but these have lasted a while. Definitely recommend them.

[Lordmuppet]

bumping this as I am looking for some mens non sweatshop/vegan formal shoes that don't cost the earth in the UK. Any ideas?

I've done some searching. Best I can find is for 75 pounds which seems steep to me.

[NatB]

Its hard to find decent men's vegan shoes. Brave Gentle Man (American company) stock some very stylish stuff.

Vegan wares in Australia make very good quality shoes (men's and women's). I have a pair of their (ladies) boots which I had custom made and they have lasted years and also a pair of their steel toe site boots which have taken a beating and are still in really good nick!

For ladies shoes in the UK I recommend Bourgeois Boheme and Beyond Skin. But my favourite ever boots come from Vegan Style in Melbourne (which my mates Jus and Gav run - a blatant plug!). They import stylish but really comfortable shoes from Brasil. They do mainly women's but are trying hard to source some decent men's shoes also.

[muchluv]

vegetarian shoes are made in the EU so shouldn't be sweatshop.

Interesting to see so many shops that sell vegan shoes.. I wasn't aware. Think it's important for the material to be breathable though.

Pretty cool that Brave Gentle Man do suits.. have wondered about vegan suits.

bboheme do some cool stuff, they only open their shop up by appointment now, kind of annoying. Have recently wanted a pair of smart-casual shoes,harder to find.

[Talyn]

I bought my vegan work shoes from http://www.veganwares.com

They are a company based in Melbourne, so I got to check out their shop in person. They also sell online and you can put in custom designs.

Now that I finally bought my digital camera, I took a snap of them....



I've had them for about 4 months now, and I have to say they are the most comfy, robust pair of business-like shoes I have ever had. I cannot recommend veganwares enough. Even if you don't live in Australia.

Just to further plug veganwares, I posted this over 5 years ago. I am still wearing the same pair of shoes I bought from them. Had to get the soles reworked a couple of times, but they still look great and are as comfy as when I bought them. Not bad considering they were about AU $250.

[fredrikw]

Not cheap, but damn they look good I own a pair of Leo's, very stylish if I may say so myself.
http://www.novacas.com/