When we list vegan shoes and shoe brands on Top Vegan Shoes, we go through a meticulous reviewing process. There are a number of steps we take before we are comfortable recommending a brand.
The goal of Top Vegan Shoes is to save people time on research and give them facts and reliable information about the brand. We want our site to be a resource for objective, relevant, and up-to-date information that surpasses sales messages.
The research process of Top Vegan Shoes is two-fold. First, we conduct brand research which involves going through the information the brand itself provides us. Then, we do thorough product research to find out more about the quality of the shoes.
Brand Research
In our brand research, we ask the following questions:
Is The Brand 100% Vegan?
In Top Vegan Shoes, we favor brands that are fully vegan and preferably certified vegan. Sure we list non-vegan brands that offer good vegan shoes but we put more trust in companies that have veganism as a core value. There are a number of reasons why this is important to us.
Firstly, being a vegan shoe brand sends a strong value signal in leaving animal leather out for good. Leather is a wasteful and eco-hostile material, not to even mention the animal suffering involved in making it.
Contrary to popular notion, leather is not just a byproduct of meat, it’s a powerful standalone industry where animals and animal babies are also killed for their skins alone. Thus, we prefer shoe brands that take a stand against this cruel and outdated material.
Another reason why we favor vegan brands is to avoid confusion. People may just briefly skim our content and then shop at our recommended vendor. Mistakes can easily happen and we do not want good-willing customers buying leather shoes by accident – especially since vegan leather and animal leather can look identical.
However, that does not mean we discriminate against non-vegan brands. Sometimes, the brand has other values to make up for them not being fully vegan. For instance, VEJA is not 100% vegan but they offer some of the best-quality vegan sneakers that are also ethically and sustainably made.
Where Are The Shoes Made?
When promoting a vegan shoe brand, we care about where and how these shoes are made. “Made in China” is not automatically evil but the risk of poor working conditions and exploitation increases drastically.
We commend vegan shoe brands that choose to produce in old European countries with a longstanding history of craftsmanship. Namely, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The price of the shoe is typically higher but the quality also shows.
What’s most important, these European countries operate under EU laws where the workers are ensured safe working conditions and living salaries. The factories are also free of child labor and follow strict environmental laws.
We do not discriminate against companies that produce in China or other Asian countries. The world of vegan shoes also needs more affordable options and cutting down manufacturing costs is the best way to achieve that.
However, we do expect the company to provide information about the factory. Many Asian factories, especially those in Southern China, have great certifications and standards that ensure fair treatment of the workers and low environmental impact.
For the future, we hope more vegan shoes would be made in America, Canada, and Southern America, so that vegan shoes would be locally available everywhere. Eco-friendly small-batch and on-demand production are also methods we wish to see more of.
What Materials Are Used?
Materials are everything in vegan shoes. Vegan materials have seen tremendous innovation within the last couple of years. While there is nothing wrong with vegan shoes made from traditional PU leather, Top Vegan Shoes values brands that go beyond plastic polymers.
In regards to the environmental impact of vegan materials, we value making shoes from natural vegan materials (cork, hemp, organic cotton), recycled materials (reclaimed plastic bottles, nylon, polyester), or biowaste (apple peel leather, cactus leather).
While vegan bioleather is not yet fully biodegradable and involves some plastic, it is still more sustainable than traditional plastic leather. We also look forward to the launch of innovative fungal-based leather by MycoWorks that promises to replace leather for good.
What Does The Brand Value?
While being a vegan brand is a great value on its own, we also do research on which kind of additional values does the brand has. Modern companies acknowledge their power to do more and we want to positively reinforce that.
Most vegan brands give back in some way or another, either by planting trees, cleaning up oceans, or aiding animal rights organizations. Many brands also work to reduce social inequalities in poorer communities (Ethletic, Nomadic State of Mind).
In addition to philanthropic goals, we want to promote brands that take sustainability seriously. Carbon-neutral or circular production, ethically sourced materials, and eco-friendly packaging are only some of the ways a vegan shoe brand can make a difference.
Product Research
Brand research only gets you that far. Top Vegan Shoes also aims to be able to assess the quality and design of the shoes. There are two ways we do that: by trying out the product ourselves and diving into customer reviews.
Trying The Products
In Top Vegan Shoes, we take pride in trying out the products for ourselves. That is the only way to correctly assess the comfort, design, materials, and durability of the vegan shoes. We do not order more shoes than we can wear but we only wear the shoes we promote.
Over the years, we been lucky to own vegan shoes from several brands. Those include Will’s Vegan Shoes, NAE, Vegetarian Shoes, Vivaia, Veja and more. As we are based in Europe, we mainly prefer European brands for environmental reasons.
Sometimes we ask category level experts also their opinions. For example, I don’t personally use vegan barefoot shoes, so I contacted somebody who has been wearing them for years to give the ins and outs for that specific category.
Reading Reviews
If we have not tried the shoe out ourselves, we read product reviews. We see what is said on the company website, on different forums, and ask our friends and family. Everybody has different preferences but reliable similarities between quality and comfort always appear.
We aim to research how durable the shoes have been for other users, since durability is one of they key factors to consider in sustainability and vegan shoes overall.
Why Trust Us
Top Vegan Shoes was created after I launched my own zero-waste vegan shoe brand KIRA. The knowledge I acquired in creating and selling a vegan shoe has allowed me to provide information to everyone looking to buy vegan shoes.
Thanks to the shoe brand, I’ve gotten to know the inner workings of the vegan shoe industry: from shoe design, marketing, sales, R&D to setting up zero-waste production in Europe. I’ve also attended shoe and textile fairs across Europe to see the current trends, possibilities, and challenges in the industry.
Having created a fully zero-waste brand, Top Vegan Shoes holds other vegan shoe brands to high standards. It is possible to be 100% vegan as well as care about the environment around us and the people making the shoes.
Editorial Integrity
We participate in affiliation. This means that sometimes when a user clicks through our link, we might make commission on the purchase. We aim to list all shoes, independent of them being affiliated or not, and never recommend worse shoes over better to make a penny.
That being said, if you choose to purchase through the links, we might make commission, and this is how we can pay for costs and the shoes etc.
Read more about us.