Vegetarian Shoes

Becoming a vegetarian in March this year, there was one thing I had not yet had to do until recently: Buy new winter shoes while avoiding the leather.
Now, I struggle as a shoe wearer, because if I could have it my way, I would wear «barefoot» shoes for every single occasion. That is, shoes with quite thin soles (typically 5 mm or less. Up to a cm including tread for off-​road varieties) and no rise in the heal. Sadly, Vibram don’t make winter/​rain friendly casual Fivefingers, and Vivo Barefoot’s entire casual lineup is leather for some reason.
However, I also really love the look of combat boots. They go together with my skirts particularly well. Also, though: Nobody makes combat boot styles with «barefoot/​minimalist» soles.
My struggle is now doubled as I don’t want anything with leather in it, for obvious reasons. So I ended up at Vegetarian Shoes’ website. They seem to hold almost a monopoly on what they do. There people in the US and Australia who swear by them and their proprietary faux leather materials.
I went back and forward on being able to afford new shoes, and whether I wanted to compromise on soles. Then, my hand was forced as my old, pre-​vegetarian leather combats were disintegrating in the autumn rain (they were old when I got them three years ago). I kind of wanted to go for their 14 eyelet Intrepid, but plumped for the 10 eyelet combat boot, plus a boot zip (because I’m lazy). My reasoning was that the combat boots, though less stylish than the Intrepid, have a classic sole that can be resoled by a professional and — potentially — then be resoled with a less chunky sole.
The combat boots are great! The material is almost entirely indistinguishable from real leather, except it doesn’t have the smell of dead animal skin. It’s like leather even down to the break-​in period. I feel like I’m still breaking them in a week and a half later, but it took only two days before I could wear them out for hours without blistering. They feel like they’ll last me a long time, definitely. Very sturdy.
I am struggling with the soles, though. They are way too chunky and rigid for someone like me, and I really miss being able to feel the ground I’m walking on. Aside from sensory deprivation, though, my knees are just not happy with it. I can really feel it after a long walk with my dog, and I get tired much quicker in these than in my old combats or in my other winter shoes (which are also fighting a losing battle against my shoe-​shredding feet). This might still be part of the breaking-​in period, but it doesn’t quite feel like that.
As for the boot zip, I tried to attach that when I first got the shoes, but I couldn’t zip them up when I was wearing them. I have a feeling this might have changed now that the material is more supple, so I will try again.
Despite my issues, I do love my new boots, and I love that I can have these kind of shoes without any animals suffering as a result. Vegetarian Shoes are proving pretty clearly that we don’t NEED leather for our shoes, and I can’t wait to buy my next pair (when I’m not broke). I hope that by the time I have money again, they’ll have reconsidered their policy to only have massive, chunky soles on their boots. If they do come out with something more appropriate for my tastes, I will give them that final star. :)

I also bought a pair of shoes online and I love them! They arrived quickly to the United States and I am so glad that I waited for them. They are super cute, made of non-​leather materials, and made in a place other than China (made in Portugal). I am so happy with them– I looked all over for shoes that were cruelty free and sweat shop free and finally found this website. My shoes are so cute and comfortable– I love them! Highly recommended!

Review is for an on-​line order :-D
Just received my Retread Desert Boots in the mail (I live in San Francisco so kind of hard to stop in the shop) and I love them! I was apprehensive since I was ordering my first pair of CRUELTY FREE boots! The material is so durable! I’m super confident that they will be long lasting. Also, I’m amazed at how comfortable they are. I’m so happy with my new boots, I’ll definitely be buying from Vegetarian Shoes in the future!
Also, shipping costs weren’t too bad! The shoes were back ordered at time of purchase but only took about 2 weeks to arrive! I expected not to see them until the new year!
LOVE LOVE LOVE Vegetarian Shoes!!!

I’ve often passed this shop and been intrigued. As someone who doesn’t eat meat but wears leather shoes and biker gear, I understand that others may take things more seriously and want to ditch the leather altogether (especially vegans).
Essentially, they sell leather-​free shoes, but as well as designs made from materials like canvas, they also use a wide variety of materials to get the ‘leather look’.
Result — shoes and boots that look like they are made of leather, but aren’t. Many of the materials are breathable, too, in case your first thought is that they’ll just make your feet sweaty. In fact, the technology seems to have come along in leaps and bounds so that some of the materials are surprisingly similar in look, feel and touch to leather. (They can’t always reproduce qualities like being fully waterproof, though, and their biker jackets are not suitably protective for real motorcycle use).
For a long time, they seemed to specialise in styles boots that look like Doc Martens — ie chunky, and with lots of air-​wear type soles. They still have a large range based on these, but have branched out so that women’s styles in particular are more diverse. They’ve also introduced leather-​look jackets and accessories, such as belts and wallets.
One advantage of not using real leather is that the prices seem very reasonable compared with the leather equivalent. As others have said, the stock in the shop seems to be a bit limited, these days, especially compared with the range now available on their website (which is really well done, by the way).

It sounds like the punchline to an Antony Bourdain or Gordon Ramsay joke but Vegetarian Shoes is actually a real shop that sells real non-​leather shoes. They’re not made from recycled carrots or tofu either but synthetic, microfibre material!
I admit the ethics and sustainability behind Vegetarian Shoes but have to admit, I wouldn’t buy them on the principal that the vast majority of shoes and boots they stock are so damn unappealing. There’s a small selection of desert boots and Converse style trainers but the rest of the stock is so sensible it hurts. We’re talking ugly sandals, square shoes and sensible boots that wouldn’t look out of place in Clarks in the 1970s. To make it worse, the shoes are much pricier than other ethical companies like Fair and People Tree.

I think this is a really good idea in theory but unless you’re a real hardcore veggie, why would you bother? You’d buy leather. Why have a nut roast when you could have a nice plate of roast beef! Also, the shoes look a little bit awkward and un-​comfortable (I couldn’t try any on as they didn’t have any size 12s in stock so no different from every single stupid shoe shop in the UK). Leather is a very durable thing to wrap your feet in.
If you don’t want to wear leather I’d reccomend a pair of Converse All-​stars.

Meh. I want to like their shoes, I really do. But like Tasha S. I am a leather boot lover through and through. The problem with Vegetarian shoes for me, is that everything looks not quite right, most probably because it isn’t made out of leather, but also because the designs always seem to be slightly off. For example, the imitation Birkenstocks and the imitation Doc Martins. They are perfectly reasonable shoes, but just aren’t quite the original. If I was a better person, I would accept that its about compromise– what’s lost in style is made up for in do-​gooder points. But why does ethical always have to mean ugly? When it comes to clothes, its no longer the case… shops like Fair and People Tree are now selling stylish, ethical fashion. So why is it that veggie shoes have to look so middle-​aged? I would be way more inclined to go veggie if they sold designs that were a little more flattering and contemporary!
Although Vegetarian shoes is not for me, I have to give three stars because I do admire what they’re doing– it’s important that there are options out there for people who do wish to go leather-​free.

I fear that I’m unable to speak much more positively of this place than the previous two reviewers. What we really need is a vegetarian to come rave about it! Being a leather boot lover myself, I don’t have massive urge to splash out 40 odd quid on some pretty darn ugly cork pumps. Most of the shoes aren’t too desirable, a bit chunkier and plainer than your high street varieties. Some are okay though — there’re some smart, simple and hardy options if you’re looking for something for the office. And regardless, it’s worth a visit for the novelty of it and you certainly have to hand it for them for the ingenuity — the alternatives to leather and the accompanying designs are really quite unique.

Vegetarian Shoes is a trailblazer and on that reason alone you should spare them a few minutes to put aside your preconceived ideas. There are some frumpy shoes here but there are also some great stylish shoes for men and women, as well as some good Doc Marten’s look-​a-​likes and really sturdy hiking boots. Several friends have reported back and say that they are comfortable, hard-​wearing and don’t creak! If you don’t believe me you can have a look at their website which has pictures of all their stock– now tell me those black peep toes don’t look perfect for work and a night out. And the prices are good considering the impeccable ethics and sustainability of the shoes.

The Vegetarian Shoe Shop has an extensive range of shoes, and, if you want to buy a pair of vegetarian shoes, then it has a unique selection. However you do get the impression that, because they have cornered a bit of the market, they are taking this for granted. The shop, in particular, could be better. It is very cramped — meaning it isn’t a comfortable experience to shop there. Because there is only limited space there isn’t really enough display area to see the shoes, also the organisation of the shoes on display isn’t logical. The staff are also not particularly attentive — they just let you get on with selecting your shoes. All in all it doesn’t inspire you to shop. It is probably best to try things on in the shop and then buy online.

The shop does exactly what is says on the tin it sell items (primarily shoes) made of materials acceptable to vegetarians (and ethical shoppers) that you would normally expect to see made of leather.
Now, that the web is their primary outlet, their stock in the shop isn’t as large as it used to be, but it a great place to try their product on.