In order not to make a mistake with the choice in the case when the manufacturer does not indicate that his product is vegan, you need to understand the materials. Before we jump into their list, here are a few tips to keep in mind when shopping for vegan shoes:
Look at the symbols on the tag. A symbol in the shape of an animal skin rug means that the item is made from materials of animal origin, while a diamond or shading means that the item is vegan.
Some popular brands may use adhesives containing animal ingredients in their shoes. Without it, these shoes would be vegan and you may think that this is a minor detail. But it is best to do everything possible to avoid this. Also, the more popular vegan shoes are, the more ethical options will be available in the future.
If you can’t find the shoes you like in stores, don’t rush to buy shoes made from animals. Check the internet first – there are plenty of vegan options. In addition, it is easier to determine the material on the site than in the store, looking for labels.
Vegan materials
So, here is a list of ethical materials. You can take them into account not only when buying shoes, but also clothes.
Acrylic/Acrylic Bamboo/Bamboo Canvas/Canvas/Canvas Chambray/Chambray Chenille/Chenille Chino/Chino Velvet/Corduroy Cotton/Cotton Flannel/Cotton flannel Denim/Denim Down alternative (or synthetic down) Elastic/ Elastic Polyurethane/Polyurethane Viscose fiber/Rayon Rubber (vulcanized rubber)/Rubber (vulcanized rubber) Satin/Sateen Spandex/Spandex Lyocell/Tencel Faux suede/Ultrasuede Vegan leather/Vegan leather Textile Velcro/Velcro Velor/Velour Velvet/Velveteen Viscose /Viscose
Non-Vegan Materials
Alligator skin/Alligator skin Alpaca wool/Alpaca wool Angora/Angora Calfskin/Calfskin Camel hair/Camel hair Cashmere/Cashmere Crocodile skin/Crocodile skin Down/Down Fur/Fur Kangaroo skin/Kangaroo skin Leather/Leather Mohair/Mohair Ostrich skin/ Ostrich skin Pashmina/Pashmina Patent Leather/Patent Leather Shearling/Shearling Sheepskin/Sheepskin Snakeskin/Snakeskin Silk/Silk Suede/Suede Tweed/Tweed Wool/Wool
Carefully
Chiffon/Chiffon (can be made from polyester, rayon, or silk) Felt/Felt (can be made from acrylic, rayon, or wool) Flannel/Flannel (can be made from cotton, synthetic fiber, or wool) Fleece /Fleece (can be synthetic or animal) Knit/Jersey (can be made from cotton or wool) Satin/Satin (can be made from viscose or silk) Taffeta/Taffeta (can be synthetic or silk) Velvet/Velvet (can be synthetic or animal origin)
Paying attention to buying vegan shoes makes stores more likely to stock vegan shoes, preventing animal cruelty and fashion killing.