vegan shoes

[jaynesh]

Does anyone have any advice on where to find cheap vegan shoes? I usually do payless but they seem to have less and less that I like.

[*AHIMSA*]

I feel your pain!

I have had a really hard time finding vegan shoes for my SO...he wears a size 21 :ek: and he used to buy Shaq's shoes before he was vegan (and before he passed up Shaq in shoe size, :lol: ).

We have searched on 4 message boards, all over Canada, The US, Mexico and the UK to no avail :(

[Ludi]

Shoes are such a difficult issue for my household. Cheap shoes are usually made by near-slave labor under horrible conditions, but the shoes made under good conditions are usually leather and extremely expensive (over $100 a pair). My husband has really bad feet so finding any kind of shoe that fits him is difficult, and we have a restricted budget so expensive shoes are a hardship.

[Spidergrrl]

I ADORE Crocs. They are vegan and I believe made in a better environment than most shoes (i.e. no slave labour) I paid $27.99 for a pair in the US and 29 pounds in the UK which was very reasonable. They are so ugly they are cute and very comfortable. And waterproof. I saw some knock off kinds for $12 at Payless and $7.99 at Krogers in the US but they said made in China so I was doubtful of the type of labour used. Just google Crocs and you can see some.

[Ludi]

Crocs don't seem to offer any ankle support....

I have a friend with club foot who loves them, though. I think they are the only shoe she can wear.

[Keelin]

I saw the crocs for the first time at Sportchek about a week ago... I was wondering if they were all they're made out to be. I'm very tempted to buy a pair for gardening and such, they'd be so comfy!

To make this message actually useful, I should point out that most of the Keds and Converse shoes are vegan, and you can find really cute Keds on sale at most department stores! I own a pair, and love them :D

[anthony11]

Sidecar sells some.

[Spidergrrl]

I used to love converse high tops (they gave good ankle support) but found that the black shoes with the white toe caps and white sides looked too casual and sneakerish. However, I ordered from their website and got some all black ones--black shoes, black rubber sides, round converse label and toe caps and they looked like black ankle boots until you looked closely. These were great.....I could wear them to work.....haven't thought of these in years. Good times, good shoes.

I still love my crocs now. They go great with a skirt.

[hoodedclawjen]

i sent my mum (she's in the uk, i'm in canada) a pair of crocs last xmas... and she swears by them. she has really difficult short fat wide feet, with a high insteps and varricose veins, is in her late 50's, and is a primary school teacher so is on her feet running about all day like a crazy lady surrounded by small kids - she's spent years and years wearing expensive granny style wide fit sandals, wedging her feet into any shoes that she can try and make fit, and cutting straps and bits off the shoes she does buy, to get them to fit, lol.
anyway... she loves her crocs and now she keeps sending me money to buy her more of them... she dances up and down the street in them and shows them off to everybody and basically says she's in heaven in them. they do have ankle support, they have adjustable ankle straps- and if you somehow break the straps, they'll send you new ones really fast. for me, (i have stupid shaped feet too, lol!) i'm happiest when my feet feel like i'm not wearing any shoes... and crocs do this. they do it for my mum, even after a 12 hour day rushing about on her feet... standing, walking, running, being trodden on by 7 year olds, etc.
i'd give them a huge thumbs up, even though since i discovered them i'm now nagged constantly by my mum to get her another pair .... and another pair in green... and a pair in that other style that they made now.... (she's worked out how to veiw the US website, damn!) and then mail them to her. it just goes on and on, lol. i wish they'd hurry up and get the online store in the uk running so i'd get some peace!

[Spidergrrl]

http://www.crocshop.co.uk/shop/product.asp?prodid=30028
Is in Wales and ships really quickly--I did my online order on a Monday and had shoes by Friday. So maybe your mum can order them herself. I used to have to buy them from the US site, have them sent to my mum in Louisiana and have her post them to me. Now I can buy direct --woohoo!

I work with little kids too and they are great. I even had a kid puke on me and the shoes were so easy to clean. Go crocs!

[hoodedclawjen]

yey! thats really positive-i'd seen that site a while ago, but for a long time it has seemed that you could only get the one style in stores and online in the UK, and only a few colours- but these guys look to be getting a few more colours in, and have nearly all of the styles. that'll help a lot! :)
once my mum saw the US site, and realised there was a billion colours and sandals and wellies etc, available over here- and not just the 3 colours in one style that she'd seen in a store in the UK, i realised that i was in a biiiiigggg pickle, and there was gonna be some repeated post office queueing duties undertaken by me, lol.
i'll save those guys to my favourites, and now i can slowly wean her across to buying her own shoes now, lol- she knows how to work a phone, so she can do it herself, hehehe!

[Pinkerton]

About the crocs...
My daughter just showed them to me yesterday. She wants them real bad. I think they are ugly, but she's 13 and can get away with it. This morning I saw them (knock-off) in the Target email.

http://www.target.com/gp/search.html/ref=sr_bx_1/602-2277668-5975059?field-keywords=Waterclogs+&url=index%3Dtarget&x=27&y=7

[hoodedclawjen]

yeah... they are pretty ugly... its funny how things turn around though- i remember my mum trying to persuade me as a 8 year old kid that i'd really be much better off in the awful looking but good for your feet round toed t-bar 'just asking to be picked on for wearing them' sensible shoes that local kids referred to as 'nike air jerusalems', and me pleading to her to buy me some patent shiny court shoes with daisies embroidered on them and no straps and a slight heel, and being really mad when she said no, cos they'd wreck my feet.
and now kids are begging for the shoes that we'd expect them to roll their eyes and look at parents with scorn over even suggesting that they'd be nice and comfy to wear. hehehe.

[katt]

Um, they're not as cheap as payless, but some of these (http://www.nosweatapparel.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=NSS) shoes are under $30, and sweat shop free, and certified vegan. I have two pairs and I love them to pieces.

[Pinkerton]

Um, they're not as cheap as payless, but some of these (http://www.nosweatapparel.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=NSS) shoes are under $30, and sweat shop free, and certified vegan. I have two pairs and I love them to pieces.

Very cool site Katt! Thanks for sharing!
btw... I love The Princess Bride, one of my favorite movies!