lisa ---one more for you to look at Shoes of prey, which seems like a strange name for a company that offers vegan footwear, but….anyway, this is a company that allows you to customize your shoes, and they have some vegan options.

https://www.shoesofprey.com/bl.....kin-deep.h...

I love that name- so oddly apropos today. Thanks kkards - I do appreciate it!

I thought I was conveying my reasons, in a respectful manner, for buying leather goods. I was not dissing your choices. My experiences with PU have been awful. My mother bought me shoes from Payless during my entire childhood until my feet stopped growing, so I know how uncomfortable they are and how slippery & stinky the insoles get. You will have to make your own decisions based on your own conscience. No problem there. I didn't mean to ruin your thread. It escaped my notice that you didn't want differing opinions like mine.

The use of all caps is the equivalent of screaming. Not everyone is aware of that, apparently. I will take your word that you weren't yelling at me.

Go to Zappos, Amazon, etc. for shoes. You can search for PU or synthetic. May your feet not be ruined the way mine were.

Thank you , Betty.

You're welcome. By the way, Fossil makes great coated canvas handbags. My 2 DDs have them, and they're holding up well. I can't remember if they're trimmed in leather or not. I don't think so.

Lisa, I don't know if you like Birkenstocks but they do offer several styles in both animal leather and synthetic versions.

On non leather shoes, here are some companies to look at --- Arcopedico, Bussola, Clarks Cloud Stepper line (they look better on than in the picture), Bernie Mev, and Bzees. These companies may also have leather shoes so you'll have to sift through. I have problem feet so these may be more "comfort" shoes than you might like.

I have both leather and non-leather shoes and you do need to be a bit more careful about fitting non-leather shoes because they don't stretch.

I admire your thoughtfulness very much.

I'm going against your wishes to close this thread, Lisa, because I think it's a useful resource for other women who want to explore vegan footwear.

My super stylish vegan friend suggests checking out the OlsenHaus brand.
http://www.mooshoes.com/brands/olsen-haus.html
http://www.olsenhaus.com

Nothing granola about these shoes! And just for the record, I love granola, make my own (totally vegan ), and will happily share the recipe if requested to do so.

Off to broil a steak and polish my leather boots. (Secretly contemplating vegan Star Wars pumps, though...)

Oh Gaylene - haha. You go broil that steak and polish those boots. I'll be eating my roasted cauliflower tacos and uh, contemplating wearing my ASICS sneakers for the rest of my life. I absolutely want the granola recipe - I love granola. And Olsenhaus sounds intriguing, thanks.

Thanks Elle - these are all good ideas. I think this might just be fun searching for new lines!

and elpgal - are you kidding? I LOVE Birkenstocks. And what a great idea to pick up some non-leather ones for this coming summer. That'll take care of my casual needs for sure.

The non leather upper material used by Birkenstock is called Birkoflor. But as far as I know even the Birkoflor models have leather insoles.
ETA
There are a few models made completely out of EVA, but they get usually worn as better flip flops next to the pool. No idea if they are as comfortable as the regular models.

Bettycrocker, I totally agree with you about PU shoes! I don't think it's a good material for footwear at all. The only pair I've had good luck with are Vivobarefoot Nancy flats, which are synthetic but have a soft, wicking lining so my feet don't get too sweaty.

Most of my young adult life I've worn Chuck Taylors in the spring/fall, Chacos/Tevas in the summer, and Bogs in the winter, thus avoiding PU altogether. Not particularly fab though!

TOMS has some vegan styles. The birko-flor and birki-buc Birkenstocks are really quite nice -- and sandals are breathable to begin with.

I would look around on Etsy for bags -- there are some really cute canvas totes and bucket bags out there. And waxed canvas is super classy, if you can find some without leather trim.

I hope no one thought I was being preachy. I'm married to a die-hard carnivore and still cook meat for my family, just don't eat it myself. For me, cutting out animal products is a purely personal choice, and I stopped identifying as vegan because there's just too much political baggage around the term, and I got tired of every meal being politically fraught.

A friend of mine calls me "the coolest vegetarian"* because it was only after more than a *year* of hanging out that he realized I don't eat meat. That's how little I try to push my own habits on others. I never bring it up unless asked. When asked, though, I do like to think/talk about what we consume and how we consume it, in as non-judgmental a way as possible.

*vegetarian is a term I use loosely, because I actually do eat meat when I travel abroad. I think guest culture is really important, and I feel I can't fully immerse myself in another culture if I'm imposing my own habits on the experience... but it took me almost a decade of subscribing to a much harder line to figure that out!

Right on. Very much agree here , LaP.

It's hard not to sound preachy when outlining the myriad if reasons that non-leather shoes are so awful. It's been years since I've worn anything other than leather, but my feet are so fussy now that I can't take a chance with other materials now. I do make sure that everything in my wardrobe gets used. I don't buy just to pad my closet with more stuff. I hope you find the footwear, etc. that works for you. In the end, you have to be happy with your choices.

I have a pair of wedge Melissa sandals that are pretty comfortable. I know they do real shoes, but I'm not sure how they'd feel.

Lisa, thankyou for this post. I am currently vegan and struggle with the questions you have posted. I better go back and read so I don't look like an idiot with my post.

I've had about enough of the backhanded "help" offered here. It's really getting out of hand, IMO.

Anna makes a great point about Melissa shoes, however. I have a couple of pairs of Melissa dress shoes/heels and they are the most comfortable heels I own. They run a smidge big and have a very noticeable scent - not a bad scent by any means, but a candy-like scent. I especially love these (although I have them in a violet-blue shade):

I'm not sure if Sole Society has been mentioned but I've seen they offer vegan bags. Thanks for starting a thoughtful and thought provoking thread.

http://m.solesociety.com/cassi.....=210117577

What are you getting at, Echo? What do you mean by backhanded help?

I adore animals, actively support animal rescue efforts, and lean towards a no-red-meat diet much of the time, but we own a cattle ranch, so suffice to say that I am sympathetic to all sides of this issue. My husband has even spent more months on a vegetarian diet than I have, and yet he raises cows for a living. He loves those cows though, and our ranch is a happy place with lots of land and nutritious grass, and yes, happy cows.

I'm sure you know that there are many farming and ranching operations that are very concerned with respectful and human treatment of the animals they raise. Nonetheless, I respect that many people choose to forgo the act of eating animals at all, regardless of how humanely they were treated. To each his own. I appreciate when people respect each other's choices.

I'm glad you started this thread because, as much as I love real leather, I can appreciate using less of it. We own leather furniture, and love the quality and durability -- we will keep it for years and years. It's perfect for our home with dog hair, etc. But we have faux leather dining chairs -- they are decent, but after 9 years, they are not standing up to wear the way our genuine pieces have. Likewise, I've had some faux leather clothing items that are quite good, some, well, meh.

At any rate, thanks for the discussion and thanks for all the great resources -- I'm bookmarking for future reference!

Janet - thank you . I appreciate that you see both sides . And so do I. That's never been the issue . Thanks for chiming in here - I always look for your thoughts on things Hope you are enjoying your Super Bowl Sunday .

I've aged and have developer a much deeper appreciation of farmers and ranchers. Since my DH and I both work for the ag college, we know more than most folks. In the extension & 4-H office where I work, we only release research-based information to the public; not random stuff from the Internet that may or may not be true. We support ag while respecting those who choose to be vegetarian or vegan.

My DH's family owned & operated a coffee plantation. My uncle grew soybeans on his farm in the Midwest. My cousin raises grass-fed cattle on his ranch. My brother-in-law owned & operated a multi-million $ plant nursery that is now run by his son. So you see, we have a family that is rooted in ag.

As a former vegetarian who's daughter is recently vegan, the whole ethical issue is a very complex damned if you do / damned if you don't, so I won't go there.

I am a fan of real leather for it's breathability, stretchability, and long lasting quality. I don't hide that. (Hide is not a pun here!). But I do have several pleather jackets and pleather bags that have seriously gone the distance and that I love. I chose them not because they were pleather but because they fit great and filled a hole in my wardrobe, the good price point was just a bonus. I was thrilled that they then functioned great and have lasted well beyond what I expected. Even my beloved AT white pleather jacket ... that sadly I had to release because the collar eventually cracked, after years of wearing it constantly.

To answer your question, have you checked out Urban Outfitters? Not everything is vegan but there is quite a lot that is. And trendy. I have also had luck with H&M and F21. I had very iffy feelings about the flash fashion quality from these places, but the vegan leather items I acquired from these places are still looking impeccable in my closet, years later.

This includes shoes but I don't like sweaty shoes so I'd only do pleather for shoes that I can wear socks (natural breathable fibers) with. My favorite and most-worn booties and boots, in fact, are pleather. I have a pair of pleather metallic loafers that I adore, but yeah... my sock less feet sweat something fierce in them.

I love my Issey Miyake Bao Bao bag that is constructed from vinyl. It is a great non-leather alternative.

I remember Cocolion had some awesome black booties from Forever21. One other great advantage of faux leather booties (and why they are my winter wet weather boots) is affordable and fuss-free water-resistance/proofing. It's also why I kind of dig vinyl bags along with the possibility of hyper saturated colors - so easy to keep clean. Share any picks you find hunting around and trying things on :).

Here's some lists
http://www.bustle.com/articles.....-designers

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fas.....cessories/

And a blog

http://www.veganfashionblog.com/

I purchased these Topshop flats from Nordstrom recently and found them surprisingly comfortable for non-leather shoes. It's been too cold to test-drive them yet, but I'll reference you just in case it's useful.

For casual wear, I've also loved (and worn through) multiple pairs of TOMS flats.

One thing you may have to accept, with purchasing non-leather footwear, is lower price points commensurate with lower quality--so, plan to replace your shoes more often. IME high-quality vegan shoes tend to be even more expensive than their equivalent-quality leather counterparts.

Stella McCartney is what I thought of first too. Those shoes cost around $1000, maybe a year later you can get some models for $500 on eBay.

Rabbit -- I took those F21 boots to donation as they never really fit me right, sorry to say as they looked great! I have leather shoes that don't quite fit right initially but can end up working in the end. That is the advantage of leather, it really can mold to your foot. Especially when they are leather-lined. (I had a pair of Steve Madden sandals from last summer that I just donated because the lining was synthetic and even after wetting the sandals several times, I could not get them to mold.) But I digress.

Lisa in case you find you need to get *some* leather shoes, I would suggest looking into the company and the materials. I know that many better European shoes use vegetable tanned leathers instead of metal/chemical tanning (is it chromium?). The first time I was made aware was via Think! shoes. Not trendy stylish but they are great for house shoes and last a long time. Here's a link that explains the brand, it's indirectly instructive about what goes into making shoes.
http://collection.thinkshoes.c.....nk/quality

Just remembered a couple or brands making very nice non-leather footwear:

Ilse Jacobsen makes fabulously stylish rubber rain boots. I have a pair from this brand which I like a lot.

Blowfish make pretty good inexpensive vegan shoes. My sister had a pair a few years ago which wore very well and didn't look at all "cheap."

Think! shoes are great. I'm another in the camp of buying leather but fewer (and better produced) shoes instead. I have leather Birkenstocks as my only pair of summer sandals and that for maybe four years already? For me it's the best solution for comfortable feet and sticking to my goals.

Did anyone mention Angela Roi bags? I just came across these -- they are beautiful. I might like one myself for the spring. Gorgeous colors and the site emphasizes craftsmanship, which I find interesting for a vegan brand. There is something very upscale and lush about the line.

"Instead of animal leather, our handbags are made of high quality PU leather. There's no need to kill animals to produce luxury handbags. Technological improvements allow us to create non-leather material that look and feel like real leather.

We communicate and work closely with factories in Korea and Vietnam and maintain a transparent supply chain. Our goal is to create sustainable employment opportunities in fair-practice settings."

http://www.angelaroi.com/collections/all-handbags

ETA: I want both of these.