Best Vegan Shoes Brands to Wear in 2022
Vegan shoes are booming right now. The popularity of such brands has risen significantly since the popularization of cruelty-free campaigns. There are a lot of boys and girls who want to make a difference by buying some shoes made of natural, nonanimal products and this article is made especially for them. You do not know what to buy in order to receive the best quality there is at a fair price? Do not worry, we got you covered. Our team has made a list of 9 of the best vegan shoe brands that will blow your mind.
Contents
What exactly are vegan shoes?
First of all, if you see the vegan label on a pair of shoes, it does not mean that they are edible or that they are made of grass. I know about all the jokes that walk around certain circles of people and I can say that people who make that kind of joke cannot resist the fact that we are truly happy about the high-quality and the materials the vegetarian shoes are being made of.
Of course, the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear about a ”vegan pair of shoes„ is the absence of any kind of leather that’s made from animal products. That is, in part, correct. However, there are a lot of other byproducts that are used for shoes. Wool, sheepskin, snake, and alligator skin are also commonly used for producing different types of shoes.
You can affirm that if you buy only shoes that are made of canvas or artificial leather you will have a pair of vegan boots at a lower price. However, you might be surprised by the fact that the glue or other invisible parts of your sneakers, for example, are made of animal products. When you learn this fact for the first time, you might be as surprised as were I at the time.
So, what are vegan shoes? Vegan shoes are a product that is made of vegan leather, recycled plastic, organic cotton, or other vegan materials that do not include killing or torturing poor animals. That is it, you just have to get used to the fact that your boots or sneakers are being made without the participation of animals.
Why are some shoes non-vegan?
The bigger the brand, the more trustworthy it can be about the material used to produce its product. For smaller brands, even if they do not use leather, they definitely use animal-based glue, that is why a lot of boots and sneakers cannot be labeled as vegan. If you are searching for a 100% vegan pair of shoes, you need to consider certain certifications as the PETA-Approved Vegan logo.
Top 9 Vegan Shoe Brands
Although the market is still stuffed with hundreds of brands that produce Non-Vegan shoes, there are some companies that provide a lot of models that are 100% made of synthetic and eco-friendly materials. If you do not know about those brands but you are willing to consider the possibility of buying a pair of shoes that does not contain any materials obtained with a huge dose of cruelty, our team has chosen 9 brands that will make your wish come true.
This article will provide a short summary of each brand, it will not contain any of their products because its main purpose is to familiarize you with the notion of vegan brands that will help you on your vegan lifestyle journey.
Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather
Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather is a brand that was established in 2011 by a well-known Parisian designer Marion Hanania. Throughout its history, the brand evolved from a tiny workshop to a huge company with customers all other the world. The philosophy that keeps the brand afloat is simple. They use sustainable materials that are 100% vegan and nonanimal that can compete with any other brand that does not care about animals at all.
All shoes are designed and created by the founder of the firm, Marion Hanania. She has earned her experience by working for other Parisian brands such as Isabel Marant, Dévastée, Feiyue, and so on. The guarantee of veganism is provided by the PETA certificate and other major awards won by the company through the years.
Tropicfeel Vegan Travel Shoes
Tropicfeel Vegan Travel Shoes is a vegan shoe company that was established in 2017 by two intrepid travelers, Alberto Espinos and Lucas de Gispert. The main purpose of their company is to bring the excitement of traveling in everyday life using only sustainable and natural materials. They believe that it’s outrageous for people to consider that they can reconnect with nature using nonvegan products, that is why they had chosen the vegan way of doing business.
With the help of thousands of people on Kickstarter, they raised enough money for the dream to come true. That is why, at present, Tropicfell Vegan Travel Shoes is the most innovative and sustainable shoe in Europe.
Ahinsa – Barefoot
The name of the company says all for itself. Ahinsa, translated from old Vedic, means “Non-Violence”, a tribute to the philosophy of the firm. Founded in 2013 by Czech physiotherapist Lukáš Klimpera, the footwear brand Ahinsa Shoes not only protects protect the animals from slaughter but also does benefit your feet and, undoubtedly, the whole body. That is a fair trade for me.
The driving force for the young physiotherapist was his patients. He discovered that, after the treatment they received from him and his colleagues, the patients often slipped into leather shoes that once again damaged their locomotor system. That is how he came to the conclusion that he needs to design minimalist, high-quality vegan options for those who need them the most.
KAVE Footwear
The biggest perk of buying shoes from this company is the fact that every pair of vegan sneakers, vegan boots, slip-ons or other footwear is completely original and has its own design, each pair has its unique serial number and color combination. Once sold, you will not be able to find a slightly similar pair. And this beauty is reached using only vegan materials or recycled materials, is it not brilliant?
The company was founded in 2015 by a Czech designer who has worked with several European and American brands. Her name is Eva Klabalová. Since then she has been trying to make a difference in the industry, and she has succeeded. All the shoes produced by KAVE Footwear have a unique style and design. Each pair of shoes has its own personality and character, which makes them stand out from others.
Nae Vegan Shoes
When Nae Vegan Shoes was founded back in 2008, its founders were driven by a personal need of making an impact on animals’ life. Nae stands for No Animal Exploitation, the best name that could have been given to a company that produces vegan footwear. The company does not only focus on the ecological impact of their products but also does take into consideration the latest trends that occurred in our society. That is why, when you will buy a brand new pair of Nae Vegan Shoes, you will get a fresh design and some outstanding colors. You can find shoes for women and men.
The company combines natural, recycled, and textiles to reach the durability and the quality that is expected of them.
Matt & Nat
The brand came to life in 1995, in the vibrant city of Montreal, Canada. Since then, the brand Matt & Nat has recycled 9 million plastic bottles per year. Each season, its designers and engineers are searching for new methods of recycling more and more recyclable materials and implementing them in their products. Now, they have a lot of models for each style, from casual microfiber shoes to vegan hiking boots, and even for sport.
Its innovative way to introduce new possibilities of using recycled materials has provided the popularity they have known. The boutiques of this company can be found in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, and Japan.
Beyond Skin
Founded in 2001, Beyond Skin was established with a clear purpose of delivering the best and the most luxury animal-free footwear that promotes vegan fashion at its highest level. Designed in England and produced in Spain, Beyond Skin uses only premium class Italian fabrics made according to the best traditions of vegan fashion, eco-friendly materials only. Only that way they can provide the most authentic and individual pair of shoes for every customer searching for the best luxury vegan shoes on the market. They have the best vegan dress shoes and loafers you will ever find on the market.
The focus on beauty does not interfere with the fact that the company does have a strict policy on what materials they can and cannot use. Although they do not use much-recycled plastic or other kinds of recycled materials, they do care about nature and only use recyclable fabrics and natural rubber. The use of any parts of a slaughtered animal is strictly forbidden.
Vegetarian Shoes
When the company started back in 1990, the only person that was working there was its founder. He made every single pair of shoes manually, using the simplest materials that he could have gotten, such as animal-free glue, microfiber laces, uppers made of textiles, and polyurethane. The main mission of this company is to create comfortable, stylish, and durable vegan footwear while minimizing its carbon footprint and will bring a piece of sustainable fashion to the world.
After discovering a fabric rough enough to resist the daily use of his friendly shoes, Robin started Vegetarian Shoes. Although Vegetarian Shoes is still a small business, they send a good number of models all around the world. The most popular are still their vegan sandals and vegan hiking boots.
Fair Shoes
The brand was founded by an animal-lover born in Portugal. Her name is Carina Boavida, a young and enthusiastic girl that wanted to create a brand that does not kill her beloved animals. That is how Fair Shoes was born. By now, the company creates a large base of models that cover all styles, from classic to casual. Based in Portugal, Fair Shoes can deliver its products all other the world. The usage of vegan leather (a.k.a. faux leather), cotton, recycled plastic, and synthetical materials has made the company the biggest vegan company in Portugal.
What about popular brands like Nike and Adidas?
In this article, we focused on companies manufacturing cruelty-free-only products.
However, given the public pressure and more strict environmental laws, big companies have also started producing cruelty-free shoes, including Nike and Adidas.
Want to go full-vegan footwear? Check out our top picks for the best vegan socks.
Conclusion
To sum up, everything I said, I would like to propose to you something. Try to choose the product you like the most and you will see how the absence of leather and other materials from slaughtered animals will not be felt as well as before and then go to a vegan store for more vegan options because they are truly amazing.
To be honest, I tried wearing both and I can proudly affirm that there is not much of a difference between them, one just tortures animals and kills them for their skin and leather, having an outrageous environmental impact along the way, the other recycles and keeps nature clean for our children, holding back the principles of sustainability.
