Is it me or is vegan footwear expensive?

[Garry Z.]

Hello all,

This is my first post on this forum. I have been eating plant-based for about two years. I have not bought any leather shoes since then. I have been feeling pretty guilty about still wearing my leather boots and I am now transitioning into throwing them out and making sure all of the clothing I will be wearing will be cruelty-free. Aside for Matt and Nat, doesn't it feel like fashionable vegan boots (at least for men) seem overly expensive?

This reminds me of skateboard clothing. Skateboarding is filled with a rebellious bunch who are anti-establishment..yet when you look at their gear, you aren't getting anti-establishment prices. A skateboarding hoodie can easily run you over $100.

 

[TofuRobot]

It's not you.

I'm wearing all my existing shoes until they wear out.

 

[Garry Z.]

It's not you.

I'm wearing all my existing shoes until they wear out.

Same here. I just feel like an *** being around other vegans talking about the natural rights of cows while wearing their skin on my feet. Forgive me vegan gods.

 

[Lou]

Vegan apparel has made great leaps and strides since I started being a vegan. So you don't get to complain or I will start telling you how ten years ago there was just Doc Martens. and only one style and one color. we had to walk barefoot to school. when it snowed we wrapped our feet in barb wire for traction. it was all uphill, too. Both ways.

as far as prices go.... look how long a shoe lasts you now. and then divide the number of years it lasts. That is the annual cost of buying vegan footwear.

The other part of buying vegan footwear is that almost all inexpensive shoes are without good working conditions. Sometimes by children. By looking for ethical shoes you are also being not funding factories that have poor working conditions and/or child labor.

But yeah, it's hard. We do what we can and buy what we can afford.

 

[Garry Z.]

Vegan apparel has made great leaps and strides since I started being a vegan. So you don't get to complain or I will start telling you how ten years ago there was just Doc Martens. and only one style and one color. we had to walk barefoot to school. when it snowed we wrapped our feet in barb wire for traction. it was all uphill, too. Both ways.

as far as prices go.... look how long a shoe lasts you now. and then divide the number of years it lasts. That is the annual cost of buying vegan footwear.

The other part of buying vegan footwear is that almost all inexpensive shoes are without good working conditions. Sometimes by children. By looking for ethical shoes you are also being not funding factories that have poor working conditions and/or child labor.

But yeah, it's hard. We do what we can and buy what we can afford.

True that I did not take into account the ethical factory standards involved. Great point.

 

[TofuRobot]

Same here. I just feel like an *** being around other vegans talking about the natural rights of cows while wearing their skin on my feet. Forgive me vegan gods.

I know. And then there's the non vegans who are looking for things to discredit you. I just keep doing my thing. I cannot change the past, I can only move forward.

 

[TofuRobot]

Vegan apparel has made great leaps and strides since I started being a vegan. So you don't get to complain or I will start telling you how ten years ago there was just Doc Martens. and only one style and one color. we had to walk barefoot to school. when it snowed we wrapped our feet in barb wire for traction. it was all uphill, too. Both ways.

as far as prices go.... look how long a shoe lasts you now. and then divide the number of years it lasts. That is the annual cost of buying vegan footwear.

The other part of buying vegan footwear is that almost all inexpensive shoes are without good working conditions. Sometimes by children. By looking for ethical shoes you are also being not funding factories that have poor working conditions and/or child labor.

But yeah, it's hard. We do what we can and buy what we can afford.

As long as they last, it's really not expensive. I have spent over $200 on leather shoes before, that are still going strong. I'm totally willing to spend that much on vegan shoes instead (the next time I'm ready to invest).

 

[thinman]

Walmart has all kinds of cheap fake leather boots and shoes.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

Same here. I just feel like an *** being around other vegans talking about the natural rights of cows while wearing their skin on my feet. Forgive me vegan gods.

I can relate to this - the day I decided to get a new wallet was when I went to pay for something at a vegan festival and realized I was carrying a leather wallet (given to me as a present years before).

When I bought shoes the difficulty I found was the availability as well as the price. Of course if you are in the US or UK or other developed countries you can easily find things online and get them shipped, but here it's different. I ended up traipsing around three separate malls for hours.

With the wallet I ended up going to about 10 shops and then I gave up until I visited the UK. The only one place I found that said they could offer me something vegan when they handed it over it said "real leather". When I pointed this out, she said "don't worry, it's a lie."

 

[thinman]

I was sitting in a vegan restaurant that had Robert Cheeke the vegan bodybuilder giving a talk, I felt he kept looking at my suede shoes, they were fake suede haha!

 

[David3]

Depends on the brand.

If you buy vegan (with a "Vegan" label) shoes, they might cost more. Specialty products fetch specialty prices.

However, if you buy cheap canvas or polyurethane shoes from the local bargain shoe store (like me), it can be very inexpensive.
.

 

[thinman]

Today I bought a pair of polyurethane hiker style boots for $39 CDN at Giant Tiger (budget store). I wear Converse canvas all star hi-tops, sometimes they have exact copy and quality version for $10 last time. They had the low style for canvas $17 but no hi-tops.

 

[Danielle]

You can find affordable vegan shoes and you can find expensive non-vegan shoes. Mine were on the bit expensive side, because I like the brand.

 

[lentils]

unfortunately we live in a world of exploitation ,as good as your intentions are multi nationals just see it as a new market place and price accordingly .