In this blog, I usually try to stay away from the more obvious types of vegan shoes and concentrate on more instantly fashionable shoes, as I think that’s the type of vegan shoes people often struggle to find.
These 100% recycled vegan hiking boots fall more into the traditional vegan shoe category – sort of chunky, sensible and earthy, while being ethical and eco-friendly as well but not exactly suitable for a night on the town. I’m not sure these are quite the same as proper, professional hiking boots, but they look perfectly light, comfortable and sturdy for the job.
I thought I’d mention them, though, as I recently came across them online and I like to support businesses that care about people, animals and the environment.
As far as this type of walking boot is concerned, these do stand out and look interestingly unusual. Wear them in the right circles and you’ll get quite a few comments, I’m sure.
I like the recycling logo and the artificial leather detailing. The website tells you exactly what they’re made of and it’s pretty fascinating!
You can get these from the Jade Planet website.
Oh so stylish! These woven wedges from Olsen Haus are so brilliantly timeless and beautiful.
To make them even more cool – they are made out of recycled TVs! Recycled, cool and just a tiny little bit rebellious (you know, kinda like throwing away your television, but turning it into hot shoes instead).
I tweeted about these before when they were announced, but there was no direct link to buy any at the time. I think Olsen Haus make a few shoes out of TVs. These wedges are my current favourites.
Now you can buy these are Amazon.com
But wait, there’s more! Following yesterday’s review of the low-heeled terra plana heels, I found another one of their style that’s 100% vegan. Check out these awesome quilted “Juniper” shoes.
They come in a range of quilted options, plus solid PU, faux leather options. I think the quilt definitely makes the shoe, though. You can get a whole load of simple PU heels, but I’ve never seen those cool quilted patterns on any other shoe.
It’s all recycled and environmentally friendly and all, plus totally wicked.
You can get these directly from Terra Plana.
This has certainly been the week for me being contacted by cool vegan shoe sources!
I’ve just had an email from the nice people at Everyday Logic (WearEveryday.com), a totally vegan, ethical and environmentally sound online boutique. They have some very interesting shoes, including this pair, made out of recycled canvas rice bags from Bali. Aren’t they totally cool and unusual?
Definitely something you don’t see every day and they are unisex too, so I have marked them as Men’s shoes as well for the boys. They are fair trade, as you’d expect from a product sold in an ethical store, so points all round for these.
You can get them from my new excellent discovery – WearEveryday.com
Well, I’d decided it was high time I took another look at the Vegetarian Shoes site to see what’s new and found this unassuming but interesting flats on there. Apparently the laces are made out of recycled sarong material. Very summery! They’re sort of between a trainer and ballet flats, which I quite like. At the moment they seem to only come in this shade of yellow, which is indeed very summery and pleasant, but may not be to everyone’s taste.
Personally, I think they look quite 80s in a weird sort of way. Sort of like tennis shoes, maybe?
The site says they’re new, plus the pic isn’t the usual sort that you get on Veg shoes, so I am wondering if they are that new only the supplier has the pics so far? Either way, you can get them off the Vegetarian Shoes site.
STOP PRESS! I just found this link that seems to be talking about the same shoes (they look the same, anyway) and says they have a leather trim. It’s a recycled leather trim, but still leather.
I thought about removing this post but am leaving it here with this message for now.
—
After writing about the extremely hot recycled vegan boots made from plastic bags, my friend Laura (hi Laura!) sent me this, which she found on Craftzine.com. These are basically simple vegan rain boots that you can make yourself using fused plastic bags. OK, so they’re not quite as amazing as the Chilean version, but they are still pretty damn cute, plus you can make them yourself without needing to learn Spanish. The designer took his inspiration from Ugg boots, so if you like the Ugg boots shape (which I on the whole don’t), you’ll love these even more.
They were originally designed to empower cartoneros – poor people in Buenos Aires that make a living out of collecting plastic bags. So we have a good cause, an environmentally-friendly enterprise and, of course, pretty funky boots! I like.
You can get the instructions for making these on Craftzine.
These are amazing! Yes, they are really made out of recycled plastic bags. The woman who makes them apparently heats up the bags or something and the process transforms them into a flexible, non-toxic material fit for shoe-making.
The inside of the boots is apparently lined with fabric to make them easier on the feet. Check out the website for photos of the different colours and patterns there are. Absolutely amazing! Apparently they only cost $45 too!
The bad news is that this is a blog, in Spanish and the Facebook group I found says that the designer has not been answering emails lately (even before the recent earthquake, so hopefully not related).
I will update this post if and when I hear more about how to buy these. I so want a pair (or several!)
The designer’s name is Camila Labra and her blog is here.
