Tesseract
May 7th, 2006, 02:17 PM
We get a lot of questions about buying non-leather shoes, and it seems to me that maybe the On-line Non-Leather Shoe Guide needs an Off-line companion thread. Here's the place to post info about stores that have good selections, shoe brands to look for, and other helpful tips for buying shoes in local stores.
My Experiences
I just shopped for trail running shoes yesterday. I went to a high-end running shoe store (the kind where they still have salespeople who measure your feet and put the shoes on your feet for you) called Fleet Feet, and when I asked about non-leather, he told me that virtually all running and walking shoes these days are made of synthetics, with the exception of a few high-end models that are very pricey. Sure enough, every shoe I picked up (the ones that were labeled) was labeled "man-made materials." So finding non-leather running/walking shoes may be easier than you think.
However, when I looked at hiking and cross-training shoes, like the selection you'll find at outdoor stores such as REI and Whole Earth Provision Co., I found a lot more leather. There are still non-leather offerings to be found; you just have to look more carefully.
I don't recommend trying to find non-leather at discount stores like Ross or Marshalls. Very few of the shoes there are labeled properly, so identifying the materials is really hit-or-miss.
DSW has a decent selection of non-leather casual and athletic shoes... and the majority of the shoes are labeled as to materials. Dress shoes I'm not so sure.
Shoe Labeling
I was pleased to note that many of the shoes these days are marked with a little non-language specific tag either inside or stuck to the sole containing three diagrams of the shoe with arrows designating the upper, lining, and sole. Next to each one is a symbol indicating what kind of material that part of the shoe is made of-- a recognizable animal-hide shape for leather, a woven symbol for textiles, and a diamond for other materials such as rubber.
Failing that, many other shoes just have a tag inside saying something like "Leather Upper Balance Manmade" or "All manmade materials."
Shoe Brands with significant non-leather products
New Balance
Asics
Salomon
Montrail
Keen
Merrill (but they also make a lot of leather so be careful)
Vasque
Teva
Keds
Grasshoppers
Converse
Vans
LifeStride
(These are all brands that I've seen locally. I'm pretty sure Earth is all vegan, but I've only seen them online.)
Share your info on brands, stores, tips, and shopping experiences!
My Experiences
I just shopped for trail running shoes yesterday. I went to a high-end running shoe store (the kind where they still have salespeople who measure your feet and put the shoes on your feet for you) called Fleet Feet, and when I asked about non-leather, he told me that virtually all running and walking shoes these days are made of synthetics, with the exception of a few high-end models that are very pricey. Sure enough, every shoe I picked up (the ones that were labeled) was labeled "man-made materials." So finding non-leather running/walking shoes may be easier than you think.
However, when I looked at hiking and cross-training shoes, like the selection you'll find at outdoor stores such as REI and Whole Earth Provision Co., I found a lot more leather. There are still non-leather offerings to be found; you just have to look more carefully.
I don't recommend trying to find non-leather at discount stores like Ross or Marshalls. Very few of the shoes there are labeled properly, so identifying the materials is really hit-or-miss.
DSW has a decent selection of non-leather casual and athletic shoes... and the majority of the shoes are labeled as to materials. Dress shoes I'm not so sure.
Shoe Labeling
I was pleased to note that many of the shoes these days are marked with a little non-language specific tag either inside or stuck to the sole containing three diagrams of the shoe with arrows designating the upper, lining, and sole. Next to each one is a symbol indicating what kind of material that part of the shoe is made of-- a recognizable animal-hide shape for leather, a woven symbol for textiles, and a diamond for other materials such as rubber.
Failing that, many other shoes just have a tag inside saying something like "Leather Upper Balance Manmade" or "All manmade materials."
Shoe Brands with significant non-leather products
New Balance
Asics
Salomon
Montrail
Keen
Merrill (but they also make a lot of leather so be careful)
Vasque
Teva
Keds
Grasshoppers
Converse
Vans
LifeStride
(These are all brands that I've seen locally. I'm pretty sure Earth is all vegan, but I've only seen them online.)
Share your info on brands, stores, tips, and shopping experiences!