Alternatives to Leather and Suede

Stompbox

I just recently stumbled upon 'Leather Look' but I can't find much information on iit; is this faux leather?

--LOS--

yep I'm guessing it's just another way of saying faux leather which is more than likely going to be PU or PVC. Ofc there's plenty of other stuff, this is just something I pulled from the vegetarian shoes website........

Vegetarian Shoes - Materials

Birkofelt

Birkofelt is a synthetic felt material. It is Breathable but not water-resistant. Not easy to keep clean but a damp cloth can be used for minor spills.

Birkoflor

Birkoflor is Birkenstocks own brand of synthetic upper material. Cleaning should be tackled with a damp cloth for minor spills.

Cotton Backed Polyurethane

This material is water resistant but not breathable. It can be hand washed or wiped with a damp cloth to clean.

Microfibre

Microfibre is made from polyester and polyurethane. It is a soft to touch, comfortable material that is designed to let your feet breathe naturally. It is not water-resistant but can be made more water-resistant with spray-on proofers (these sometimes darken the material). It is quite hard to keep clean but can be wiped with a damp cloth.

Nylon/Synthetic

Quite strong, but not very breathable or water-resistant. Water-resistance can be improved with spray-on proofers.(this will darken some fabrics).-Can be wiped clean with a damp cloth.

Stretch Fake Suede

This material is elasticated and very soft to touch. Breathable and very comfortable but not water-resistant. Clean with warm soapy water.

Suedette

Lightweight fashion material, non breathable/water resistant, clean with warm soapy water.

Vegetan Active

A lightweight breathable Polyurethane/Cotton material.
Soft to touch and with a light grain, this leather-looking material is ideal for sports footwear and women's dress shoes.
Like the Vegetan uppers this fabric has a built-in cotton backer which gives added strength and makes for being more environmentally friendly by being more biodegradable. Clean with a damp cloth and proof with polish, dubbin or spray on proofers.

Vegetan Bucky

A hard wearing breathable microfibre that looks and feels amazingly like supple leather. Wipe with a damp cloth to clean. Use spray-on waterproofer or our dubbin. This material will darken slightly with the use of shoe care products.

Vegetan Micro

The toughest, hardest wearing and most water resistant breathable material that we use. Like all our materials it takes little 'breaking-in', is exceptionally like high quality leather in performance and has a distinctive grain. Use polish or dubbin.

Vegetan Smooth Grain

Hard wearing, breathable upper material with classic smooth finish. Creases just like the leather equivalent. Use polish, dubbin or spray on proofers.

Vegetan Suede

Super soft to touch, breathable but not water resistant. Our fake suede makes very comfortable footwear. As with real suede it is not easy to keep clean. It can be proofed with a spray-on waterproofer and can be brushed as real suede/nubuck.

Vegetan Uppers

Our standard upper material, good for every day wear. Breathable and water resistant and approx 70-80% Biodegradable. Clean with polish or dubbin.
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I'm gona invest in a pair of their airseal boots for the winter, the material is supposed to wear as well as leather and doesn't need any breaking in. The pvc jackets you get on the high street wear pretty well, I always have problems with belts though, they just always rip where you buckle them in no time at all. I noticed that vegetarian shoes site has a couple of belts too, they're quite plain but you can change the buckle on them at least, I imagine they'd be far better quality than whatever veggie version you could buy on the high street. Are you looking for anything in particular?

Stompbox

Thanks for the reply! I'm looking for new shoes and I predominantly shop in Topman et al which stock a lot of suede and leather shoes (or at least suede and leather-like shoes). How can I determine whether these shoes are vegetarian-friendly or not? Google doesn't seem to yield much.

spiralbound

Stompbox wrote: »

Thanks for the reply! I'm looking for new shoes and I predominantly shop in Topman et al which stock a lot of suede and leather shoes (or at least suede and leather-like shoes). How can I determine whether these shoes are vegetarian-friendly or not? Google doesn't seem to yield much.

If you check on the back of the tongue, or sometimes on a sticker on the sole of the shoe, there should be a sticker telling you what it's made from, like here - a diamond means synthetic/non-animal, the 'pelt' shape means it's leather. The textile one, though, can include wool and other non-vegan stuff, and obviously if you're worried about glues etc., that information is not included (I don't go so far as to find out what kind of glue was used, myself!)

Stompbox

I have a pair of presumably suede shoes lying in my wardrobe that I have refused to wear since converting to vegetarianism. I kept them on the basis of a gut instinct that they may actually be fake suede but without a sticker to guide me how can I tell?