Even as vegan fashion is transforming from the trend of niche to mainstream, vegan shoes are turning into a favourite for the fashionista. This industry is growing steadily, with new footwear brands of the vegan kind being launched every year. Whatever be the type, like stilettoes, sneakers, or hiking boots, vegan shoes are becoming popular with consumers.
What is vegan?
Veganism is defined as a lifestyle and practice that seeks to avoid all kinds of cruelty and exploitation of animals for creating food items, fashion items, etc. It upholds the development and use of animal-free options for benefitting humans, animals, and the environment. Vegan shoes eschew the use of any animal-derived material like leather to make them. Vegans also abhor any products tested on animals.
Benefits of vegan shoes
- Nature of raw materials
Shoes of vegan nature are manufactured from extensive range of materials like bamboo, cork, organic cotton, natural rubber, and recycled plastic. There is a consistent move to adopting ethical and sustainable raw materials. Manufacturing vegan shoes from recycled plastic helps to reduce the amount of plastic choking urban landfills.
- Cruelty-free
The main reason that hooks consumers with vegan fashion is because it is cruelty-free. The majority of leather goods are created out of skins of sheep, pigs or cows etc to make leather shoes. In fact, the Chinese use dog and cat skin for the same purpose.
Vegan fashion, like vegan footwear, thus totally avoids animal-based products. Instead, it is made of plant-based materials such as cotton and even fungi. With vegan, one need not worry about what the shoe is made of and where it was sourced from.
- Environmentally sustainable
Production of leather is highly costly with regard to preserving the environment. Much pollution is caused by animal farming, and it leaves a high carbon footprint.
Leather production causes the leeching of dyes into the water bodies near factories and also involves many harmful processes like shaping, treating, conditioning and drying. The advantage of vegan fashion is that it is chemical-free and leaves a small carbon footprint. Vegan fashion is thus highly sustainable.
- Better affordability
It is quite expensive to buy fashionable shoes. But the purchase of dress shoes need not be pricey. Vegan fashion is the cheaper alternative without compromising on quality and good looks. Production of vegan leather involves much less processes and treatments. So, it proves to be much less expensive. After all, the low cost of production manifests as the affordability of vegan shoes.
- Highly endurable
Vegan footwear is not of inferior quality compared to other shoes. Manufacturers of vegan shoes seek to make products that can weather the test of time. One need not worry about vegan shoes because of their longevity.
Also, leather tends to wrinkle, crease or warp when it is exposed to adverse weather. This is not the case with vegan shoes. Vegan leather will not degrade when exposed to the elements. In fact, it will begin to look better with the passage of time.
- Trendy and fashionable
Currently, designers are creating fashionable and timeless versions of shoes. Many leading fashion houses and departments stores are showcasing trendy vegan shoes. In sum, these are some of the reasons for the popularity of vegan shoes.