Will’s Quality Vegan Shoes (from London)
Will’s Vegan Shoes (also sold at Shop Like You Give a Damn) is a London company offering quality vegan shoes and boots. Focusing on quality (there are no Black Friday sales), with a whopping 365-days return, these are sent in zero waste packaging.
Everything is made ethically in Italy and Portugal, shipped quickly from Essex. In lovely colours and styles, you can also buy vegan leather belts, bags, satchels, cardholders etc.
Launder the wool-free jumpers in a microfibre filter (due to synthetic fibres).
These shoes cost a bit more than brands in shops. But they are designed to last, with proper care. Frequent buyers often say they wear their pairs for years. The store even sells children’s school shoes (lack-ups and ballerina pumps).
Who Founded Will’s Vegan Shoes?
Will did! He wanted to create quality vegan shoes, so found ethical suppliers in Portugal, and attended a vegan festival to try to sell them. No problem – they sold out quickly!
Today his company is renowned for its quality vegan footwear in zero waste packaging, and whopping 365-day guarantee. He also is passionate about not offering Black Friday or 50% off deals, believing that this just encourages overconsumption. Instead of investing in a couple of pairs of good shoes, with quality materials, made by people who are treated and paid well.
Your feet are so important. A cheap pair of shoes that are poorly made can do real damage, and are a false economy in the long term. You just end up buying more shoes instead of one good pair. Wasting money, and increasing your consumption. Will
Will’s own favourite shoes are his chestnut work boots. Made with burnished Italian microfiber, he has worn them more months, and says they have improved with age, and are now almost part of him!
Why Choose Quality Vegan Footwear?
There was a time when vegan shoes were made from plastic, and only sold in clunky weird styles. Today things have changed. Quality brands are made with Italian Microfiber (easy to clean with a damp cloth) and also available as MicroSuede.
The leather industry is not a by-product of meat, and often leather shoes are made in countries with poor animal welfare (and human rights) records. Many are cheap and fall apart after a few months, requiring new shoes to be bought.
It makes sense instead to invest in two or three pairs of quality vegan shoes, that are worn on alternate days (to let them breathe and dry out) and support artisan brands that are kind to animals, the planet (and tanners, many of whom are at risk of cancer from the chemical process of tanning leather).
How to Measure Your Feet for Vegan Shoes
As most vegan shoes are still sold online, it makes sense to measure your own feet, to avoid the hassle of returns. You can also still get your feet measured in stores like Clark’s (tell them you’ll be back to buy their shoes, when they start offering vegan versions!)
