My Top Ten Vegan Shoe Essentials…that you can always find online.

I’m a blogging kick today and my last post about people with cool style got me thinking.

What are the top 10 vegan shoes that are always available to buy online (unlike most shoes which have a short run and then sell out forever) that every COOL non leather loving person might want to pick up.

Here is what I came up with. I own most all of these shoes, and these are the shoes I wear all the time. They ARE how I live a non leather lifestyle in a leather loving, steak eating : ( world.

Here goes nothing!

1. Vans. There are many vans that are vegan, but not all. See my post about it: “Are Vans vegan? Yes, Some Are“. Vans are the perfect shoe for kicking around but still looking cool.

http://ilovecomfortshoes.net/static/products/vans-kids-classic-slip-on-shoes-29810.jpg

Why not go for a classic.

2. Converse. Another casual vegan shoe for kicking around that with a bit of sleuthing I determined to be almost certainly vegan. See “Once and for all, are converse vegan?“. Why converse? They are the ultimate classic shoe. They always look cool. I prefer off white.

3. Doc Martens. The vegan ones. They’re on the brain! I’d get the black classic 8 eye boots or whatever they’re called. Reusing a picture:

 If only doc martens did floral vegan versions…I would buy in a heartbeat.
alas.
4. Loafers. I wear my vegan loafers all the time! They are …sadly unavailable from modcloth where I picked them up. They are so comfortable and I wear them as sneakers. If you are so inclined, check out my post on vegan pennyloafers: “At last, vegan pennyloafers and the history of preppy style according to me“.
For an alternative, what do you think about the idea of buying vintage bass loafers which are leather on ebay? I personally do not feel I would do this as I am trying to make a statement by not wearing leather, but I think it is ok to buy vintage leather shoes as your money is not supporting any business perpetuating animal cruelty.
Fifth Floor Flat
5. Hunter rain boots. I wrote about them in my post “Hunter Rain boots: Ironically, Vegan“. Lol much? So many people in new york seem to have these and for good reason. In the winter, these are now the boots I wear in heavy snow. They are rainproof so they never get soggy, and they make you feel invincible in knee high puddles. PLus they give off a cool Kate Middleton/Prince William/Prince Charles/Nancy Mitford/English countryside vibe. Perfect for anglophiles such as myself. And of course, they’re totally vegan.
6. What about some saddle shoes. I love mine, although sometimes they make me feel a bit silly. Only wear when you are feeling uber stylish. I’m proud of the post I wrote on saddle shoes “Vegan saddle shoes and some awesome saddle shoe style inspiration“. Have you seen Moonrise Kingdom? I thought it was incredible–Anderson’s best yet, and that’s coming from a huge Wes Anderson fan whose favorite movie of all time is Bottle Rocket. Well as you know, Suzy, the main character, wears saddle shoes, or Sunday school shoes as they refer to them in the flick. So now you know why these are cool.
you can always buy them at payless. Just google vegan saddle shoes. They’re less than $20.
7. You should get some high heels for looking hot. I would recommend looking at 3 places.
Modcloth–look for heels around $50 or under and then read the materials.
Urban outfitters–same deal. Read the materials.
Forever 21 shoes. These are all vegan (with 1 exception i saw once).
I found these vegan babies just now at forever 21.
They’re only $24. 80 and like almost everything at forever 21, vegan. So get a cool pair of heels so you can be that person who can hang out in sneakers or can rock a pair of heels–as is so annoyingly stated on every guy’s online dating profile. I’m on okcupid! and annoyed by it.
As you might guess…..
8.  You’ve got to get some sandals for the summer. Oh how I wish they made saltwaters in vegan form. Or those cool swedish hasbeens. I’m weird but I would get Jelly’s! I think these shoes are really cool, and so fun to wear. I wrote about them here: “A patriotic shoe for vegans: Jelly Sandals“. I called them patriotic since they are so obviously vegan, being made entirely of rubber. I love mine.

Check my post for a link to the topshop ones I got, or simply google jellies.

9. Let’s put one on here for the guys, in case any of you reading this are guys or have significant others who would look super SEXY in pink and teal shoes from none other than honestly the coolest vegan brand around Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather. I wish I had a boyfriend that I could buy these shoes for. I mean, of course I want the pink and blue for myself but I think they would look so cool on a guy. Check out my latest post on the good guys “The MYsteries of Spring Cleaning and Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather: their offerings and vision” .

Good Guys don’t wear Leather SS12

Image of APONI Pink

and check out their tumblr which i love.

and 10. Ok guys, I have to go. But what do you think 10 should be? Any suggestions?

Hope you have enjoyed this! Let me know what you think.

With fond affection,

V

Comments

  1. marion says:

    Good Guys !!! :o)

  2. alienistgirl says:

    Thank you for this post!!! I am vegan and I have to do a lot of research…My main sources are ebay, amazon, beyond skin and…google xD.
    I got vegan doc martens long time ago (thanks to a friend) as well as vegan two tone brogues and converse (too many shoes, that’s not being a smart shopper, I know). I didn’t know VANS were vegan, to be honest. That was a great discover.

    Thanks a lot for this post!!!

    • marthaflatley says:

      yay so glad you liked it! Yeah i’ve heard doc martens used to have a big vegan line a long time ago and then phased it out. i’d love to have a pair of the original vintage ones–so cool. not all vans are vegan–some have like a leather piping and stuff but the classic checkerboard ones are, i’m almost positive. the more shoes the merrier in my opinion…so glad you found my blog and found it helpful. xoxo -v

      • alienistgirl says:

        I will definitely check…It is awful when you really like a pair of shoes, a jacket, a belt, a bag, etc and they are LEATHER!!! or have leather parts…WHYYYY???? I guess that helps us, vegan, to safe some money hahahaha. At the same time I believe vegan leather should be much more promoted, it has amazing quality and the plus of not damaging the environment and specially animals.
        Thanks for all the sweet comments.

  3. Andrea Charlaine says:

    I love my vegan Doc Martens! Most I’ve ever spent on shoes, too–as soon as I saw them it was like a “gotta have it” impulse splurging moment haha.
    Love those Good Guys shoes! I’d totally wear them myself. :)

  4. Mandy says:

    O’Neill makes really great vegan sandals. I wear them almost everyday during the summer months. They are so comfy even on long walks.

  5. Mieze says:

    ” If only doc martens did floral vegan versions…I would buy in a heartbeat.”

    There are some “vegan” Flowered Doc Martens!
    I know a vegan German Blogger (http://het-heksje.blogspot.de/) , who has flowered Doc Martens, the Company Said, that they´re “vegan Freidnly”: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511pqUqw8bL._SY395_.jpg

    It´s the Victorian Flowers 1460, It´s Made of Rubber, Canvas and other synthetik Stuff!

    • marthaflatley says:

      thanks so much for your comment. I decided to write to doc martens about it, as that’s what I thought too…until a commenter alerted me to contradictory information. so hopefully they will write back and we will clear this up once and for all.

      Sometimes in the product descriptions of different websites they will OMIT (rudely) a certain material…such as leather. I have ordered shoes before thinking they ere vegan because no leather was listed only to have them arrive and learn I was sadly mistaken!!!

      How annoying.

      I wish there was a standard terminology for vegan shoes as “vegan friendly” is weirdly vague. I’m like so is it KIND OF vegan? Or is it vegan. It’s weird. bUt thanks so much for the comment and stay in touch!!

    • marthaflatley says:

      Hey!
      So I got a really quick reply from doc martens. Unfortuntaley they say non of the canvas styles are vegan. HOw stupid!!! Any way this is what they wrote to me:

      “The canvas styles that we have are not vegan. They contain leather trim, lining and/or insoles.

      We are now offering a vegan collection in an entirely synthetic microfiber called Felix Rub-Off. Felix Rub-Off is a non-leather material which is soft and supple, and has a subtle two-tone finish. Our new Vegan collection offers our two most definitive styles, the 1460 8-eye boot and 1461 3-eye shoe, replicating the originals down to the very last detail. We also have a womens T-bar shoe, style # 5027.

      They have the original Dr. Martens air-cushioned sole, providing underfoot comfort and durability. It is oil- and fat-resistant, tough and offers good abrasion and slip resistance. This is a Goodyear-welted product. The upper and sole are sewn together, not merely glued, like many footwear constructions. This, together with our Z welt-stitch and heat-sealing process, makes it unique to Dr. Martens. Search for the word “vegan” on our retail website, http://www.dmusastore.com, to see them! “

      • Mieze says:

        Oh Really? That´s Bad…
        So why did they told that Girl, that the´re vegan- friendly?

        Here´s the Link to Zombiekatzes Schoepost: http://het-heksje.blogspot.de/2011/07/die-schonsten-schuhe-der-welt.html

        She also schowed the Tag of these Schoes: http://lh4.ggpht.com/-q1FSFXsprUk/Th6kEohj8BI/AAAAAAAAB10/rQLal5hqBHk/s1600-h/IMG_0959%25255B5%25255D.jpg

        So, I Thougt you can see Leather Parts on the Tag?
        Some Canvas DM are sold as vegan friendly too, f.e. some with sandy Canvas an some with Tartan-Print… :/

        (Man, my english is really Bad -.-” )

        • marthaflatley says:

          How weird!! So frustrating that they don’t make this more clear. I wonder if there even is leather in all of doc martens shoes or if they just have to make some disclaimer like that for some legal reason. LIke converse, who when asked, refused to specify what they meant by their glue MAY OR MAY NOT have animal parts in it….even though from my own research I found that most if not all shoe glues are NOT made with animal byproducts anymore but are totally synthetic. Sometimes I wonder whether these companies just don’t want to bother figuring out whether the shoes have leather in them or not. annoying. If only people would respect vegan shoes!!

          Thanks so much for alerting me. How frustrating!!!

  6. Sam says:

    Hi !

    Cool blog, and inspiring. I’m struggling to find non-leather cool shoes, and that’s not so easy… Actually, I’m vegan, living in Paris and about to buy the aponi navy (or another color, don’t know yet) good guys shoes :-) I’d love to be this guy you would buy this shoes for ;-) It could save me some money… to buy you a gift of course : I’m a good guy ! ;-) Anyway, my main concern is about robustness, don’t know if these shoes are really solid. We’ll see.

    Regards.

    • marthaflatley says:

      LOL. This made me laugh. Thanks Sam! Good Guys shoes seem great, I really want a pair myself. Let me know how they are when you get them, I’d love to know! Thanks for the blog love. You can keep on touch on facebook if you so desire… search for mynonleatherlife and you will find my facebook page.
      so glad you stopped by!!

  7. Katrina says:

    Hello, my name is Katrina Allwin and I work at Galo Shoes in New York. We carry a great selection of comfortable, fashionable, handmade Italian Vegan shoes! You can see the collection here:
    http://www.galoshoes.com/vegan/footwear
    We are expecting new arrivals of vegan shoes at the end of the month as well!

  8. Thank you! I am glad that you like the collection. Please advise if you would like more information on any of the styles? We will have more weatherproof Palmroth styles available online next week! I’d love to tell you more about the collection for an article.

  9. Farrah says:

    I <3 Vegan Toms!

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