Vegetable leather?

Kristine

At first I thought the term meant vegetable dyed leather, but now I think it might actually mean vegetable leather. One website defines it as an imitation leather made from cotton waste and coated with rubber. Is anyone familiar with this? I try to avoid leather when I can so I'm kind of intrigued....

http://www.zappos.com/born-yvette-t-moro-suede

15 years ago

Dressing

7 replies

Latest reply was from Frances

Sparky

Veteran

Since the boots are offered in either veg. leather or suede, my guess is that it's real leather. I looked at the born shoes website but didn't find any more info there. You could always ask Zappos; their customer service is top notch.

I love these boots too ~ would be stalking them if the calf circumference were the right size for me.

15 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I would definitely email Zappos. The tan color looks nice.

15 years ago

Frances

Active Member

Kristine, I've had these Born Yvettes on my wish list for a full year, but am hoping to eventually purchase them in the plain brown "vegetarian" leather. I am a vegetarian myself and would prefer to buy truly vegetarian boots, but am skeptical of Born's claim that the boots are truly "vegetarian." Last fall I bought a pair of the Born Kit boots in black, which were also labeled as "vegetarian leather." The inner lining, however, says they are have a "leather upper" and a "man-made balance." And they look like genuine leather to me. I think it's deceptive advertising, but I can't say I'm surprised. Born should really explain what is meant by calling them "vegetarian leather."

15 years ago

Steph

Veteran

I looked up vegetable leather and from what I am reading it appears that it means the leather is vegetable-tanned. I would love it if it meant vegan-friendly, though. Kristine, I couldn't find the site you mentioned.

I notice that in addition to discussing the vegetable leather in the beginning, the description also mentions a "breathable leather and fabric sock lining." So even if the shaft isn't real leather, it sounds like there might be some leather component.

I would be interested to hear what Zappos says or if you buy the boots, what the label says. Like Frances, sometimes I find the materials used to make shoes are not properly listed on websites. One time I actually called Steve Madden to ask them about the components of a specific shoe and they said it was all man-made, but when it arrived, it had a leather sole and leather lining, and was labeled as such on the shoe. It was really disappointing. I really like the boots, and since I don't purchase leather at all, it would be great if they are vegan!

15 years ago

Kristine

Veteran

I'll email Born and see if I can find out more details.

15 years ago

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

Hi Kristine

My hubby likes to wear vegan shoes wherever possible, but to my shock the shoe website we like to use (that makes custom made shoes to fit your foot) has disappeared. Waaaaaahhh! I can tell you that the vegan shoes that he wears do last as long as leather, they breathe quite well and look like leather. I'm not sure what they are made of, although I am absolutely certain that there are no animal products used in the production of the shoes.

Still, I have just done a quick search and discovered the following website that looks interesting:
http://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/

Here's another one that has some interesting and different shoes (US website with free shipping):
http://www.neuaurashoes.com/

Good luck getting to the bottom of this!

15 years ago

Frances

Active Member

Kristine, I had to circle back to this post to report that I ordered the dark brown Born Yvettes last night in a moment of weakness, as Shoeline is offering a 20% off Labor Day discount. Though I really shouldn't be making new purchases right now, I'm excited about this and had to tell someone! Although it won't necessarily provide an answer to the "vegetarian" leather question, I will let you know how the boots work out once I receive them...

15 years ago

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