Those who truly embrace veganism are those who will not use or eat any part of the animal. Therefore in recent years we have seen a steady increase in the number of people wishing to buy vegan shoes, as well as vegan bags, clothing and all other kinds of accessories.
The difference between vegan shoes and shoes worn by carnivores is not only that vegan shoes are not made using leather which is fairly obvious, but they are manufactured without using any products derived from animals such as the glue that stops you leaving half your shoe in the high street.
So if you think buying a pair of those canvas loafers will mean you have bought a pair of these kinds of shoes, you need to think again. In order for your shoes to be really vegan you need ones that no animal products or the use of any product that maintained, obtained or manufactured animal products of any kind has been used in the shoe making process.
Then you need to think again as you look at the numerous sites offering such footwear. Be astounded to find that they are offering some of the most beautiful and unique footwear possible, and nothing that resembles something knitted from re-cycled tofu. At these sites they offer everything from the basic kind of flip flop through to stout walking boots. Plus the kinds of footwear you can wear on an evening out.
The majority of vegan shoes one can purchase today are made from any number of natural and re-cycled products including:
- Jute – 100% bio-degradable fast growing plant that is great for using in footwear as it is breathable.
- Hemp – these shoes are made from an environmentally friendly crop which improves the soils quality as it grows, and is naturally resistant to pests and fungus. Hemp has anti-microbial properties when used as footwear material
- Satin – a shiny material made from polyester or rayon and used often to make a glamorous kind of footwear.
- Bamboo – which produces a very soft material and is also hard wearing.
- Pleather – is an imitation leather or suede material and is very hard to distinguish from the real thing.
- Re-cycled Tire Treads – What a great idea and excellent use for those tire mountains.
Although in some cases vegan shoes appear to be a little more expensive than the average leather variety, for the cruelty and suffering spared in their manufacture it looks like a small price to pay.