The Best Vegan Footwear Brands From The UK

According to the World Footwear Yearbook, over 24,3 billion shoes are produced every year, 90% of which eventually ends up in landfills within the first 12 months of purchase. The Brits alone throw away at least 149 million pairs of shoes each year. And in landfills, shoes can take 30 to 40 years to kind of decompose.

But the footwear industry, as well as the fashion industry in general, isn’t “just” polluting. It’s also extremely and shamefully cruel. An estimated 1,4 billion animals – cows, sheep, goats, snakes, crocodiles, and many more – are killed every single year to make leather fashion items, including boots, sandals, and sneakers.

Ethical fashion shouldn’t include animal cruelty, here’s why: Vegan Fashion and Ethical Fashion are Literally the Same Thing

It’s time to say stop to this madness! We don’t need to abuse and kill animals to look cool and stylish, do we? Luckily, more and more brands are joining the vegan movement and creating stunning 100% animal-free footwear. No more excuses to keep buying shoes made from animals!

Are you curious to know more about the best fashion brands from the UK we’ve selected for you? They design vegan shoes for all tastes. Let’s get started, then!

1. Koi Footwear

Categories: any type of boots, Mary Janes, trainers, loafers, sandals
Materials: premium synthetic leathers, water-based PU
For: women, men, unisex
Price range: £35 – £120

Koi is a sui generis brand on a mission to push the boundaries of what shoes can look like, the confidence they make you feel, the happiness they bring you, the feeling you get when you see them, and the emotions they can stir. Koi literally combines a whimsical pursuit of aesthetics with functionality and a love of animals in every pair of shoes they design.

Pushing the “creative curve”, they create the coolest vegan footwear out there and design any kind of boots you could possibly want. Want a pair of boots with purple pixie wings? Or do you prefer to have some cow spots printed over your Mary Janes? No problem, they’ve got you covered. As you can guess, if you prefer a minimalistic and timeless style, Koi is definitely not the brand you’ve been looking for. Koi also creates some basics and small funny accessories to pair with shoes starting from £5.

2. Stella McCartney

Categories: espadrilles, sandals, wedges, boots, clogs, flats, sneakers, trainers
Materials: regular and recycled polyester, polyurethane, regular and recycled polyamide, viscose, elastane, organic cotton, jute, rubber
For: women, unisex
Price range: £140 – £695

Launched In 2001, Stella McCartney is a well-known luxury fashion house that has never used leather, feathers, hairs, or fur since day one. Stella McCartney spans women’s ready-to-wear, menswear, kids’ clothing, accessories, swimwear, and even footwear. Their cruelty-free ethos sets an example for all other luxury fashion brands that keep using animal derivatives.

Stella McCartney is by far one of the most expensive brands on this list. But hey, we’re talking about a brand that creates high fashion items from premium quality materials with a unique, peerless design. Timeless, contemporary, casual, bold, and elegant: they’ve got all the fashion tastes and styles covered! All their shoes are in step with your luxury ethical wardrobe and can be effortlessly worn season after season to elevate all outfits from day to evening.

3. Trash Planet

Categories: sneakers
Materials: recycled plastic, raw and recycled rubber, microfiber, corn fiber, bamboo
For: unisex
Price range: £139 – £219

Trash Planet creates unisex, PETA-approved, and sustainable footwear from the world’s highest-quality premium materials, both plant-based and recycled, such as reclaimed ocean plastic. Basically, they respect animals and help clean up our planet too – one sneaker at a time.

Their contemporary classic sneakers are available in a wide range of colors: from iconic black and white to bright red and vivid green. Trash Planet uses only locally sourced materials from Europe and even plants 15 trees for every pair of footwear purchased. So far, they’ve planted over 7,000 trees! Last but not least, if you send back a pair of worn-out shoes, the brand recycles almost all components – soles, uppers, insoles, and linings.

4. Collection & Co

Categories: boots, lace-ups, sandals, sneakers
Materials: vegan leather, rubber, microsuede
For: women, men
Price range: £80 – £130

Collection & Co is on a mission to transcend the (unnecessary) need for leather. Using only sustainable materials with the same look, feel, and texture of leather, they create vegan footwear to suit all occasions. And these shoes are pretty cheap too. In addition, in an attempt to be ever more sustainable, they only produce limited quantities in a small, family-run factory.

Each pair of shoes is approved by PETA. This means that all shoe components are made from cruelty-free materials and don’t contain other hidden animal substances such as glues. Also check out their stunning collections of bags and sunglasses (yeah, we definitely have a thing for brands’ accessories sections). You’ll certainly find the perfect accessory to match your new shoes!

See also in: 11 Vegan Handbag Brands That Are Stylish & Affordable

5. Good News

Categories: sneakers, trainers
Materials: organic cotton, recycled rubber, Tencel, hemp
For: women, men, unisex
Price range: £90 – £160

Good News is a contemporary footwear brand founded on the premise that the future is positive and filled with Good News. Colorful, with bold patterns and shades, their shoes are perfect for young and trendy souls. Good News shoes are made from organic and recycled materials and leave tiny or no footprints behind. Indeed, all the materials used are certified and completely free from harmful chemicals.

The Good News x H&M unisex trainer collection will be available from 1^st April. The two brands are joining forces on the release of a collection with seven trainers and one pair of sliders in a vibrant 70s-inspired color palette. Each pair has vegan and sustainable elements, from recycled rubber soles to recycled cotton to Vegea and Bananatex uppers.

6. Will’s Vegan Store

Categories: boots, flats, sneakers, sandals, pumps,
Materials: bio-based vegan leather, PU leather, recycled materials
For: men, women, kids
Price range: £47 – £158

Since 2013, Will’s Vegan Store has been working on making it easier for people to make a positive choice. Creating ethical, sustainable, vegan alternatives to the most common shoe styles, Will’s Vegan Store is a go-to brand for many cruelty-free shoppers.

Recently they’ve extended their range, and now they’re also offering sustainable clothing, accessories, and activewear made of mostly recycled materials for a very budget-friendly price.

The brand produces all its collections ethically in Italy and Portugal, and its supply chain is carbon-neutral.

See also in: 20 Eco-Vegan Fashion Brands That Are Crazy Affordable

7. Piferi

Categories: boots, heels, pumps, flats, platforms, mules
Materials: vegan leather, satin, Thunit, cellulose, recycled plastic
For: women
Price range: £395 – £475

Piferi creates divine, luxurious, extravagant, and 100% animal-free shoes. All their designs have dynamic volumes and are influenced by surrealism and architecture. Trivial and boring designs are not in Piferi’s DNA. Here exceptional craftsmanship and sculptural rigor are on par with a dedicated responsibility to sustaining our planet’s resources and all of its living beings. “Choosing Piferi expresses a uniquely radical attitude layered beneath a charming exterior,” says Alfredo Piferi, Founder and Creative Director.

The shoes’ upper material is a vegan Nappa composed of 48% bio polyols derived from non-food GMO-free field corn. The insole is made using FSC-certified pure cellulose, while heels are crafted from recycled plastic. For soles, Thunit is used, an innovative, non-slip, durable, flexible, water-resistant, and recyclable material.

8. Immaculate Vegan

Categories: boots, flats, heels, loafers, mules, pumps, sandals, trainers, clogs
Materials: wide range
For: women, men, kids
Main brands: Bohema, Good Guys don’t Wear Leather, Mireia Playà, NOAH
Price range: £15 – £336

Finding beautiful vegan shoes is nigh on impossible?! Not anymore! Immaculate Vegan is a conscious retailer that does all the dirty work for you and selects the best and most beautiful vegan products in the world – not only shoes. Thanks to Immaculate, you no longer have to do long and fruitless research… you can easily buy what you like the most.

They’re committed to making fashion as good as it looks. Every single article on Immaculate is vegan and made from sustainable materials through ethical manufacturing processes. Whether you’re looking for heels or casual trainers, on Immaculate, you’ll find only footwear worth purchasing and wearing to start living a more ethical and sustainable life – stylishly.

9. Aspect Climate Project

Categories: sneakers
Materials: Piñatex, rubber, cork, coconut husk
For: unisex
Price range: £176

Aspect Climate Project – as their name says at loud – designs unisex vegan shoes that have a lower impact on biodiversity and the climate. In a nutshell, they want to work with nature, not against it. Indeed, Aspect only uses the best carbon-absorbing and plant-based materials as well as vegan pigments.

Creating vegan and sustainable shoes is very important to Aspect. Their pieces are not made to last just a season but are intended to be a part of your wardrobe for years to come. And the brand’s mission is perfectly conveyed into their sneakers: one unisex collection, timeless style, four colors to choose from, one price range. Aspect also shares the independent scientific analysis of their materials to inspire positive change in the footwear industry.

10. Ration.L

Categories: trainers
Materials: vegan leather, organic cotton, rubber, recycled aluminum
For: unisex
Price range: £70 – £75

Ration.L designs versatile, contemporary, minimalistic sneakers in a range of marvelous pastel colors made with eco-friendly dyes. The label’s core values include longevity, designing with intent, favoring materials that tread lightly on the planet, and creating products that encourage a happier lifestyle.

Ration.L is proud to say that their trainers have been approved by The Vegan Society and have received The Vegan Trademark. That ensures that each product meets the highest vegan standards. And the brand is also committed to another noble cause. For every pair sold, 5% of profits goes to The Brain & Spine Foundation Charity. They also offer unisex basics starting from £30.

11. Bboheme

Categories: flats, boots, sneakers
Materials: vegan leather, corn, latex, recycled Thunit, raw and recycled rubber, recycled polyester
For: women
Price range: £175 – £199

If you’re looking for a pair of designer yet versatile shoes to give a glamourous touch to all your outfits, Bboheme has what you need. Bboheme shoes are trans-seasonal, multi-functional, and can easily be worn with everything from skirts to dresses and denim. Their sequin embellishment – with iridescent shades of all colors – is hand-sewn in Portugal… and is just gorgeous.

Bboheme is also committed to producing sustainably: from water-based and vegan glue to recycled PET sequins and biodegradable glitter, they make it their mission to work with sustainable materials. What we do love about this brand, along with their masterpieces, is the slow production philosophy: from the first sketch to the final polish, creating a pair of shoes can take up to a year.

Sources:

• https://www.worldfootwear.com/news/footwear-production-with-new-record-of-243-billion-pairs/5356.html
• https://www.vivobarefoot.com/media/wysiwyg/pdf/black_friday_revivo.pdf
• https://www.waste360.com/Recycling_And_Processing/shoe-recycling-201004
• https://www.peta.org.au/action/leather-trade-investigation/