You Can Lead Horses to Water… October 13, 2009

Actual conversation between myself and a customer (last Friday):

Customer: Hi, do you have any vegan TOMS shoes?

Me: Yes, they’re right over here.

Customer (visibly upset): Are these ALL the colors you have?

Me: This is what was available to us, yes.

Customer (agitated): Don’t they make ANY vegan slip-ons in plain black?

Me: Not at the moment. The only vegan TOMS shoe that comes in black is the wrap boot.

Customer: What about next season? I really want a black slip-on. The boots are way too hot.

Me: Not next season either. We’ve spoken to them about that several times, actually.

Customer: Why don’t they do it?

Me: We’ve asked, but they never answer the question. We could probably sell ten pairs a day if they’d do a solid black vegan slip-on.

Customer: When will some new colors be coming in?

Me: Not until spring, unfortunately.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that if she didn’t like the khaki and charcoal shoes that were in stock, she probably wasn’t going to like the spring line either. I do not fear color one bit (I own the world’s one and only pair of burnt-orange ahneemähl Taxi demi-clogs), and my inner five-year-old heartily approves of the blue and purple batik-inspired prints TOMS has chosen for their spring vegan collection, but my outer practical adult is well aware that my customers overwhelmingly prefer black shoes.

As a shoe color, black has every connotation under the sun – saint or sinner, scary rocker or strict schoolmarm, scruffy beatnik or polished fashion editor. It hides dirt, it can be worn with any other color, and a shoe that looks outrageous in red or purple just might be conservative enough for work/traffic court/dinner with Grandma if it is available in black. Simply put, it works for virtually everyone in virtually every situation.

My customers are a highly eclectic lot. They are flight attendants, dental hygienists, math teachers, artist’s models, grandmothers, skater kids, and divorce lawyers. Some of them can get away with wearing colorful footwear whenever they feel like it, but the fact of the matter is, most people need at least one pair of black shoes, and many prefer to have several (i.e. black patent peep-toes for hot dates, matte black ballet flats for the office, and black canvas slip-ons for going to the farmer’s market).

This is especially important to remember when designing with the veg*n community in mind. Many of us don’t make very much money, so when we can only invest in a few good pairs of shoes, we tend to buy basic black.

I’ve written to TOMS about this issue, but ultimately most suppliers make what they want to make. I can only hope they’ll eventually realize the importance of fully understanding a target market’s unique wants and needs.

Lest anyone think I’m trying to pick on TOMS (believe me, I am trying to help them), they are not the only company that hasn’t heeded my advice and most likely won’t be the last.

I told one of my handbag-and-wallet suppliers that my customers disliked the re-designed wallets and wanted the classic versions back. They decided not to take my advice, and I ultimately had to drop their line because they were no longer willing to make what my clientele wanted.

I begged and begged another bag-and-wallet supplier to make some smaller handbags after they only made huge bags for one solid year. At the time, they didn’t respond. They have since realized I was right (along with a large number of other retailers who had the same complaint). Still, it would have been so much easier on my customers and more profitable for the supplier if they had just listened in the first place.

I find that some companies are only responsive when they hear from the consumers directly. Maybe it’ll work with a certain shoe supplier. In any case, it certainly couldn’t hurt to drop TOMS a line if you want them to make a plain black vegan slip-on at some point in the future.

Footwear Smackdown: Leather vs. Synthetics September 16, 2009

This article originally appeared in the August 2007 online edition of now-defunct Herbivore Magazine. Thanks to Josh and Michelle for kindly granting their permission to re-publish it here.

If in-depth research concerning environmental effects of leather vs. synthetic materials interests you, consider contacting Olsen Haus. My research has been primarily performance-oriented, whereas Elizabeth Olsen’s has focused more on environmental impact.

Footwear Smackdown: Leather vs. Synthetics

I went vegetarian when I was in college. I majored in fashion design, so I was learning about textiles (including animal skins and their alternatives) while I was in search of animal-free shoes that a) looked good and b) wouldn’t fall apart.

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably conducted the same search at least once. Like me, you’ve probably heard every story in the book about vegan footwear. But, how to separate fact from fiction?

I have put in well over 100 hours of my own research on the subject – poring over boring textiles textbooks, ruthlessly attacking samples of faux leather and (pregan) real leather with everything from boiling water to razor blades, and subjecting one pair of vegan Doc Martens to five solid years of rough wear. Like most people who grew up wearing animal skins, I wasn’t sure it was even possible for the perfect faux leather (comfortable, durable, nice-looking, more Earth-friendly than animal skin) to exist. I must admit my findings, which I will now present without further ado, surprised me at first.

Round 1: Durability

Leather and suede can scratch and scuff with relative ease. They are also prone to splitting, cracking, and tearing (on a personal note, the leather interior in my old car was torn in about 10 places and badly cracked almost everywhere by the time it was traded in, despite preventive care). Leather and suede can also be damaged by mildew.

Good-quality faux leather does not share these problems (I have tested every variety I can find), and lasts as long as leather (sometimes longer). Caveat: Watch out for the cheap stuff; like cheap pantyhose, most of it is meant to fall apart so you’ll buy more in the long run.

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Round 2: “Breathability” and Waterproofing

Many leather fanatics claim synthetics do not breathe or aren’t waterproof. Not only are leather and suede not inherently water-resistant, they lose some to all of their “breathability” when waterproofed or given a patent finish (by the way, “patent leather” does not refer to shiny faux leather but to animal skin with a shiny patent finish).

Some of the better faux leathers (i.e. the ‘Vegetan Microfiber’ used by Vegetarian Shoes) are both waterproof and breathable (bonus: unlike the cheap vinyls of yesteryear, they are flexible enough to let the wearer move comfortably).

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Round 3: Cleaning and Care

Leather and suede generally require expensive cleaning performed by an expert dry cleaner. I have yet to find a faux leather that couldn’t be cleaned with a damp rag (if absolutely filthy, break out the Simple Green or Dr. Bronner’s), and some (i.e. Lorica) can even be machine-washed. (Side note: my uncle accidentally ran his PVC wallet through a hot washing machine cycle. Unlike its leather predecessor, it’s still in near-mint condition.)

Keeping leather items soft and supple generally requires periodic treatments with oils, creams, and polishes (skin needs moisture). Not only are many of these products totally not vegan (mink oil, eeew!), this is not necessarily a necessary step with faux skins (though Vegetarian Shoes does make nice vegan shoe polish if you like your boots to shine).

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Rounds 4-7: Environmental Effects and Consumption of Resources

We all know that raising a large farmed animal to slaughtering size uses a surprising amount of resources – animal feed, thousands of gallons of water, medications/hormones/other drugs, and all the petroleum used in getting the drugs and feed to the farm, getting the animals to the slaughterhouse, and then moving the skins to the tannery (see next point re: chemicals used in the leather trade). If more of the human population switched to synthetic materials rather than further subsidizing the meat and dairy industries (do I really need to remind anyone that a cow’s hide accounts for half of its post-mortem value?), fewer raw materials would be used in the long run.

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Leather requires more energy, much more space, and a great deal more labor than synthetic fabrics. For example, the staking process. Staking machines stretch and flex tanned leather – put simply, “chewing” the skin – to make it soft enough to wear. This is unnecessary with synthetics.

Even thick fake leather can be machine-sewn in most cases; many leather garments must be partially or entirely sewn by hand (I seem to recall reading about a mitered leather coat costing $9,000 because it required 120 hours of hand stitching; at the risk of stating the obvious it is more efficient to run a sewing machine and light a workroom for a few hours than to just light the workroom for 15 8-hour days).

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Leather must be treated with chemicals to keep it from rotting and, if desired, to give it certain finishes or colors. The skin goes through multiple cleanings, including removing the hair, which requires the use of alkaline chemicals or enzymes. Chrome tanning has been the norm for decades because it can be accomplished in mere hours (vegetable tanning takes several weeks; many tanneries won’t do it). The preserving chemicals, often called “mordants,” are better known for their association with the funeral industry. In fact, that “new leather” smell isn’t a leather smell at all. The distinctive odor is produced by the chemical reaction of the animal’s skin with formaldehyde and chromium salts (which is why the odor tends to fade over time). Chlorine use in materials like PVC (polyvinyl chloride) can be reduced by adding more hydrogen to the compounds. Synthetic fiber manufacturing accounts for only 1% of petroleum used (and only half of that is the actual raw material); 95% of the world’s petroleum is used for fuel (as previously noted, the leather industry directly and indirectly uses large quantities of petrochemicals). It’s likely that more chemicals are used to make one pair of leather shoes than would be used in one pair of synthetic shoes.

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

The aforementioned vegetable-tanned leather, out of favor for so long, has had a slight resurgence in popularity lately because of the belief that it is less harmful to the environment. However, those in attendance at the first-ever World Shoes Accessories ecoEthics Conference, held this February in Las Vegas, heard Bill Bartholomew, a representative for The Leather Group, admit that “eco-friendly” vegetable tanning is actually just as polluting as chrome tint! (Case in point: long before chrome tint existed, tanners on Florence, Italy’s Ponte Vecchio are said to have turned the Arno River into a stinky mess.)

Synthetics 1, “Vegetable Tanned” Leather 0.

Round 8: Biodegradability

Leather does not biodegrade (see previous point re: chemical use). Very old leather can crack, chip, and otherwise appear to start decomposing, which is not quite the same as rotting.

Some faux leathers are at least partly biodegradable. The faux leather that Blackspot (Adbusters Media Foundation’s indie shoe label) uses for its V1 sneaker and V2 boot is 70% biodegradable. Some faux leathers are cotton with a vinyl or polyurethane coating. Although not ideal, at least the cotton can still decompose.

There reportedly is a 100% biodegradable vegan leather in existence (which I understand Adbusters considered using), but vegan shoe manufacturers have not been quick to embrace this material because the only factory that currently makes it is located in Vietnam (factories in Southeast Asia are still notoriously hard to monitor for fair labor practices).

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Round 9: Effects upon Human Health

There has been some debate about PVC and polyurethane manufacturing causing an increased risk of cancer. Even if this is so, tannery employees and men living near tanneries still have a higher risk of testicular cancer than men working or living elsewhere.

Both leather and synthetics can cause allergic reactions in very sensitive people. Interestingly, some of said sufferers are allergic to both materials.

While synthetics are not necessarily better in this area, they are certainly no worse.

Synthetics 0, Leather 0.

Round 10: What the Hell Is This Stuff, Anyway?

As a vegan retailer, I hear this question almost every day. No, it’s not necessarily plastic (if you have been referring to faux leather with the “p” word, PLEASE stop). Faux leather is commonly made of a carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen compound. (The next time someone derisively refers to your shoes as “plastic”, you can now scoff, sneer, and truthfully inform them that they’re carbon-based…kind of like dumb humans. Ha!)

By contrast, leather is made from pretty much any living being that ever had skin. I have personally seen shoes and purses made from alligators, kangaroos, snakes, pigs, emus, horses, fish skin, fetal lamb…the list goes on. While most leather is cow or pig skin, some leather suppliers in China have stooped to skinning stray dogs to meet quotas. As last winter’s Sean John dog fur fiasco proved, labels can lie. Leather wearers like to think they know the species of the animal who died for their shoes, but unless they have had a DNA test performed on the skin, this is not necessarily the case.

Synthetics 0.5, Leather 0.

Bonus Round: Appearance

Even with careful wear and lots of conditioning, most old leather does eventually start to show its age (experience taught me long ago that even buttery designer leather shoes can only take so much). Dark leather (aka the ubiquitous black and brown) shows scuffing, scratching, and aging to a greater extent than light-colored leather.

While cheap fake leather can start to look worn out pretty fast (though on occasion the cheap stuff just might shock you by lasting a while), decent fakes look pretty much the same for years (I have found this to be especially true with PVC). Good faux leather so successfully mimicks animal skin that most people cannot distinguish it from “the real thing” without reading the label (in Italy’s street markets, Lorica and other fakes are routinely passed off as genuine leather), and now, in 2007, we can even – gasp! – CHOOSE between textures and finishes. Antiqued, patent, pebble, fake snake, basic matte, faux pony, mock croc – it’s all out there (anyone doubting this is welcome to tour my closet – by appointment, of course).

Synthetics 1, Leather 0.

Final Score:

Synthetics 9.5, Leather 0.

I did not learn any of this from the animal rights movement. I learned it in fashion school – a strange world where silk scarf painting was a required assignment and my Tailoring instructor gave me the weirdest look for using linen instead of wool to make a jacket.

Most of my information on the production and impact of faux leather came from class lectures and from one particular textbook, Fabric Reference. The book’s author, Mary Humphries, included a somewhat dismissive remark about animal rights activists in the introduction to the extensive fur chapter (feel your skin crawl here), so I am quite convinced she was in no way biased in favor of living beings when she included the good points of synthetics!

Time for another Infrequent Internet Roundup September 1, 2009

Designer/sex offender/disgusting scum Anand Jon Alexander has been sentenced to 59 years to life. Probably not long enough, but at least he’s off the streets.

Heather Mills is living proof of why design training and education is so important to aspiring designers. (I appreciate Mills’ willingness to turn castoff clothes into new ones, but there are plenty of other designers who are already very good at turning old rags into new style. Mills, who lacks both talent and taste in addition to basic design skills, can’t possibly compete. Which reminds me, did she ever give Adopt-A-Minefield the donation she promised them?)

The LA Times discovers what I’ve known for years: vegan fashion doesn’t mean ugly hemp sandals and sweaty vinyl shoes anymore. (Yes, my shop gets a mention.)

Ask the Shoe Lady: Vegan Bridal Shoes July 24, 2009

You say you’re getting hitched? Congratulations!

Now brace yourself: tons of bridal wear, including shoes, isn’t at all vegan.

Traditionally, wedding dresses are often made of silk, be they bright red saris worn by Indian brides or Catherine de Medici’s opulent gown. Real pearls (and, occasionally, real fur – eeew!) are sometimes used as trim.

The good news is that if you’re on a budget (and who isn’t these days?) you’re far more likely to be stuck looking at polyester dresses anyway. (If you can afford them, there are also organic cotton and hemp/Tencel gowns out there. Plant fibers breathe so much better than polyester, and are greener as well.)

And guess what – lots of bridal shoes are the same way. Silk satin is very traditional for bridal shoes (it’s been my experience that brides on a budget, veg*n or not, often splurge on their shoes even if they are stuck buying a secondhand polyester gown, and for nonvegan brides that often means silk), and a shoe that may look vegan may not be.

Complicating this is the matter of leather soles. Yes, leather SOLES. It’s not unusual for a cute shoe with an animal-friendly fabric upper to have leather soles (the strappy cream sandals I wore to the junior prom fit this description – I wasn’t even veggie back then), so when buying shoes, please be vigilant about reading labels. Some online stores don’t mention leather soles in item descriptions, so if ordering online, double-check the labels when shoes arrive.

If you are on a budget, some dyeable shoes are vegan (a few Touch Ups styles are even said to be certified vegan – how nice of them!) – a quick search on Google turned up several dozen. Because shoe styles are often retired after one season (sometimes longer), I suggest doing your Googling when you are ready to buy. There is no fashion mishap worse than falling in love with a style, obsessing over it for months, then discovering it’s been discontinued when you can finally afford it (I speak from experience).

As with everything else, I recommend inquiring about labor policies when you buy shoes, since they vary from company to company and, sometimes, from one season to the next. Weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions; why taint them by wearing something made in a misery-inducing sweatshop?

Another good thing about dyeable shoes: it’s much, much easier to wear them again than that big white dress. Just pick a color, have them dyed, and work them into your regular wardrobe. (The downside: that bright-white satin is often treated with toxic chemicals to make it bright-white in the first place.)

If you can afford to treat yourself to something nice, check out Beyond Skin. I am not certain if they are still making custom wedding shoes (I asked recently and they haven’t replied yet…I’ll update this if they do), but even if they are not, they do have a lovely bridal collection (check out the Saphire pump in hemp!), and some of their current collection is available in white or cream and certainly nice enough for a wedding. Bonus: in addition to being an all-vegan company, Beyond Skin uses only fair labor and is constantly researching ways to make their shoes greener. (I’ve had the privilege of meeting company founder Natalie Dean several times – she’s a total sweetheart, and very dedicated to running the business as ethically as possible.)

One more tip: you don’t HAVE to choose shoes in white/cream/ivory/etc. just because your mother, grandmother, sorority president, etc. did. Colorful shoes really pop in photos due to the contrast with the white/cream/ivory/etc. dress, and you’ll have more styles from which to choose! The organic denim Ella from Beyond Skin could even be your “something blue.”

Happy shopping!

Just to Clarify… July 13, 2009

When I wrote a certain previous entry, I assumed that, since herbivores tend to have higher IQs and are generally accustomed to doing a certain amount of detective work, it would be easy to deduce which shoe manufacturer’s goods were in question.

Apparently, a few people either didn’t pick up on the clues or didn’t understand that I don’t want to harm the manufacturer or get the sales rep in trouble. Let me ask one question: do you people also get mad at Perez Hilton for posting blind items?

It is not the manufacturer’s fault that some people are passing off some of their wares as vegan when they are not. (They don’t seem to understand why it is so important for a charitable company to produce enough vegan shoes to meet the demand in the first place, but I’m hoping I can help encourage them to change that.)  Whichever retailers are engaging in this scheme have the option of telling the company, “No thanks, we’ll just wait to order until you have enough vegan styles to fill the minimum”, but apparently I’m the first one to dig in her heels and actually do that.

I cannot pass along information I do not have. The rep didn’t say WHO was accepting nonvegan shoes. All she said was that she’d had other “vegan” stores do so (but if I figure out who is doing it, I won’t be shy about naming them). I have no intention of pumping her for names, since most companies expect their employees to keep client information confidential and…

I don’t want the sales rep to get into trouble, especially in this economy. Disclosing private information can get someone fired, and this is a horrible time to be an out-of-work or underemployed sales rep. She may not understand why I’m so strict about only ordering vegan items, but that doesn’t mean she deserves to lose her job, particularly at a time like this.

I DO want the veg*n community to support the manufacturer when it is possible to do so. Sure, they definitely aren’t making enough vegan shoes, but if the demand is consistent enough and veg*n consumers are vocal enough, that may change. This company, as I have said, may not be 100% vegan, but they do more charity work than any other shoe company I can think of. If we stop supporting the company entirely just because some desperate retailers are fudging the facts, it takes money out of their pockets…money they need to keep making a difference. All I wanted was to let people know that some retailers are overlooking the truth, and to proceed with caution until that changes.

Some people are idiots who don’t read things carefully. If I posted the company’s name, at least one halfwit would skim the entry, falsely conclude that the manufacturer was entirely to blame, and proceed to damage their reputation. I really, really don’t want that to happen. Blind-item-style entries in any media outlet are self-authorizing – if you can figure them out, you are smart enough to be entrusted with the information.

Here are the clues, again, for your convenience:

• Company is relatively new
• Brand is very, very trendy
• Brand is big on ethics…fair labor, etc.
• Canvas is used extensively…leather is mostly used in soles, not uppers
• It’s not Macbeth. (Macbeth now puts a little green “v” on the backs of their vegan styles for easy identification.)
• Did I mention they do a TON of charity work?

Here is my recommendation: If you want to support this company, I strongly suggest you order directly from their website, at least for now. They clearly label the vegan styles as such, and since they don’t (yet) understand how strong the demand for vegan shoes is becoming, they have little motivation to mislabel their own products.  Also, you can contact them through their website and ask them why they aren’t making more vegan styles (try as I might, I can’t do everything by myself).

For the record…no one ever does my detective work for me. I have to do it ALL myself. I have enough to do as it is (the last time I came within 10 feet of a doctor she begged me to take a vacation, so you can imagine), but I don’t waste time getting mad about it. I buckle down and do it -  and I dutifully pass along the information IF I can find a way to do so without causing more harm than good (which is kind of the whole point of going vegan in the first place).

Good luck.

When Trends Cause Hypocrisy July 9, 2009

Whenever a non-vegan shoe company starts making vegan shoes, I can’t help cheering.

At the same time, part of me twitches nervously.

When non-vegan shoe companies decide to introduce vegan styles, things don’t always go smoothly. There are some common hiccups:

• Using the wrong kind of glue. I can think of two different manufacturers who initially used thin water-based glues – not surprisingly, a lot of shoes fell apart until the glue was changed. (Among vegan adhesives, rubber-based or synthetic glues are far more durable.) It is largely for this reason that, when a potential new supplier begins making vegan shoes, I now prefer to wait for at least a season to make sure they’ve had a chance to correct any glue problems that arise before considering an order.
• Using the wrong materials. I feel physically sick whenever I see a vegan shoe made with cheap, crappy materials and priced much higher than it is actually worth. (I can think of one grossly overpriced, all-vegan label that did this for at least one season, incidentally…)
• Not labeling vegan shoes explicitly. One company deliberately mislabeled fake-leather shoes as real leather – and didn’t understand why I sent them back. (They refused my request for correct labels…and don’t seem to fully understand why I have declined to work with them ever since.)
• And my biggest pet peeve: not understanding what the word “vegan” means!

Not too long ago, a very trendy ‘ethical’ shoe company came onto the market and was widely embraced for their charity work.

I will not name this company, since I have to admire all the good they’ve done; and in spite of everything, I’m still trying to find a way to work with them. But, the vegan world needs to know about this.

Because the company is socially conscious, more than a few well-meaning vegetarians and vegans naïvely assumed their canvas-upper shoes were animal-free, and snatched them up without bothering to read the labels carefully.

In actuality, it took a few years for the company to begin producing vegan shoes. The majority of their styles, regardless of the upper material, have animal skins in the soles. You read that right, ladies and gentlemen – those trendy shoes you bought two years ago and thought were vegan probably aren’t.

Recently, I have been attempting to place an order with the company. When I initially spoke with the sales rep, I explained that I run a vegan store and would therefore only be interested in vegan styles. At the time, I had no way of knowing this could prove problematic.

One of the women’s vegan styles I ordered was already sold out. No big deal, I told the rep – just tell me which vegan women’s styles are still available and I’ll order one of those. She told me they were ALL sold out, save for the other colorway I’d ordered.

And the kicker? She told me that if I didn’t order a total of four different styles they would refuse to process the order, even though the other vegan styles were all sold out, thus rendering such a thing logistically impossible for a strictly vegan store.

I told her I’d just wait another three months for the fall collection – no big deal. She then tried to convince me to order a nonvegan style to complete the order.

But wait…it gets worse. MUCH worse.

She went on to admit that several “vegan” stores had been ordering shoes they knew were not vegan because it was the only way they could get the brand at all.

She explained that the company had more orders for vegan styles than it could possibly fill, which is NOT an excuse for a business which misrepresents itself as vegan to buy and sell goods they know are not.

My business partner and I asked her why the company didn’t just make more vegan shoes than nonvegan ones (as one supplier we work with has done). Hell, why not make the entire line vegan, since no one objected to the fabric uppers? She stammered a pathetic excuse about the company being “really ethical”.

While they are certainly on stronger ethical footing than a large number of manufacturers, the fact of the matter is, their nonvegan styles still incorporate animal skins, and are therefore considered unethical by approximately 80 percent of my clientele (the other 20 percent are omnivores who just think we have really cute stuff).

I would NEVER put nonvegan wares on my shelves, no matter what the company’s claims are or how much money I could make from such a venture in this lousy economy. Yet, because the vegan styles are so hard to purchase, some desperate retailers are willing to overlook their so-called ethics and deceitfully sell nonvegan stock.

If you plan to purchase a vegan style produced by this manufacturer, my recommendation is this: contact the manufacturer directly and ask if the style you like is actually vegan. If they tell you it is not, don’t let a desperate retailer trick you into buying shoes that are not vegan.

Allowing nonvegan goods to pass as such dilutes the meaning of the word, and subtly tells manufacturers that yes, they can in fact sell animal skins to people who claim to shun them. Not only is this an appalling and slimy practice (which, I might add, blatantly disrespects religious sects that frown upon wearing animals), it allows the leather industry – which is tied tightly to the beef and dairy industries – to profit from the very same people who don’t want to give them their hard-earned money in the first place.

I can’t force other retailers to walk the walk, but my readers can rest assured that I will not give up my morals just to cash in on a trend.

I’m still going to try to work with the company for now, but I will only place an order if they can send me an all-vegan order.

In the meantime, shop carefully, people.

How to Take Care of Your Vegan Shoes June 2, 2009

I’ll let you in on something that shouldn’t be a secret, but apparently is:  if you take good care of your message tees, leather-free boots, and recycled-plastic handbag, they will last longer and look much better.

Today, I’ll start with shoes.

The best way to extend the life of your faux-leather shoes is to buy the best pair you can afford and to not subject them to unnecessary roughness. (If your lifestyle is hard on your shoes, the toughest vegan footwear currently available is Vegetarian Shoes’ Airseal line. One of my customers is a mailman who used to buy the Apollo sneaker, but since he walks more than 10 miles per day, they wore out every 3-4 months. Two years ago I sold him a pair of Ranger boots, and he hasn’t had to replace them yet.) However, beyond that, I have got a few tricks up my sleeve.

I’ll never forget the time I read a post online from a woman who claimed to “polish” her husband’s non-leather boots with, of all things, vegetable oil.

While vegetable oil will add a sheen similar to that of shoe polish, it isn’t the best choice. Shoe polish is carefully formulated to dry to the touch – vegetable oil will dry out, but it can leave a sticky residue – and if it comes into contact with your clothes, it could leave a greasy stain. (I’ve been told that olive oil can be used on leather shoes in a pinch, but it can still stain, and if you’re reading this you probably don’t need to know how to care for leather shoes anyway.)

Why is shoe polish so important? Easy – it conditions, shines, and can even waterproof the material, which all help extend the life of shoes. While veg*n shoes are, obviously, not leather, they should still be cleaned and conditioned regularly to keep them in good shape.

Fortunately, faux leather shoes are a little easier to keep clean than their leather counterparts. While leather shoes often require the use of special cleaning products, vegan shoes can usually be wiped clean with a damp cloth, or cleaned with a mild soap if necessary. Extra dirt or grime stuck in creases or seams can be removed with a soft brush.

After cleaning the shoes, they should air-dry for a few minutes, then be wiped with a soft cloth (I use an old 100% cotton t-shirt).

When faux-leather shoes are completely dry, they should be conditioned (note: don’t do this with faux suede, it could stain). Vegetarian Shoes’ clear dubbin will both condition and shine shoes, so it’s not strictly necessary to follow up with polish. Use a cotton rag or small sponge to rub conditioner on the material – apply a little bit at a time; the shoes can only absorb so much.

After conditioning the shoes, wait a few minutes and gently wipe off any excess dubbin (I use a clean, lint-free cotton cloth).

Currently, the only vegan shoe polish on the market (also made by Vegetarian Shoes) is available in black. Most polishes formulated for leather shoes are not only not vegan (lanolin is the most common offender, though a search through my dad’s collection of shoe polish once yielded a tin listing mink oil as an ingredient!), they can also be toxic due to the chemical content.

If you decide to polish your black vegan shoes after conditioning them, first test the polish on a small, inconspicuous spot to ensure you will be happy with the results. If you like the way it looks, go ahead and rub small amounts into the material with a soft, clean rag, allow to dry thoroughly, and buff with another soft, clean cloth. (There are special buffing cloths on the market, but I’ve always had perfectly acceptable results with an old t-shirt.)

Some things to keep in mind:

• If you are using VS’ clear dubbin, polish is not necessary, though it does add a beautiful sheen (especially to VS’ vegetan-microfiber shoes).
• Black polish should only be used on black shoes! (Unless, of course, you plan to create a two-toned shoe, as some youth subcultures have done. Example: Some Doc Martens fans still buy cherry-red DMs, apply black polish, then rub it off so there will be black staining in the creases and seams.)
• Wear rubber, plastic, or latex gloves when using black polish; it can stain your skin.
• Wear old clothes while performing shoe maintenance.
• Never, EVER condition or polish shoes near open flame (yes, that means no smoking in between steps – traces of the dubbin/polish could be on your hands or clothes) or while consuming alcohol. Even vegan shoe polish can ignite due to the wax content.
• If your shoes have laces, remove them before you begin cleaning the shoes. Laces can be washed if dirty (I put mine in an old pillowcase, tie the pillowcase shut, and toss it in the washing machine with a cold-cycle load, then air-dry them), and, if they’re really getting old and ratty, replaced. (Orange County residents: Ipso Facto in Fullerton is the best resource I’ve found for replacing tall boot laces, but you may want to call them first to make sure they have the length you need in stock. Every time my cat chewed up my 20-eye boot laces as a kitten, I went to IF for a replacement pair.)
• Don’t polish your shoes the day before going to an outdoor concert, especially if it’s on a grass field. I did once, and I had bits of cut grass stuck to my boots all day. (They wiped off easily, of course, but it looked pretty silly.)
• When removing lace-up shoes, loosen the laces enough to slide your foot out easily! I’m always surprised by the sheer number of people who have never learned to do this. Trust me, it makes a difference.

How often you perform shoe maintenance is up to you, and you should take into account how often they are worn and how hard they are worn. Before I retired my beloved vegan Doc Martens to a glass display case, I wore them almost daily for five years, and was on my feet more often than not (fashion majors are on their feet for half of their classes, plus I was an RA, so I was usually on call). Those boots are still in perfectly wearable condition, and I’m told they look almost new. My secret? I cleaned and polished them obsessively – sometimes three times a week, depending on my activity level. (My dad polishes his leather shoes maybe twice a year, but that’s probably why they always start to look old long before mine do. Use your own best judgment.)

I. Am. So. Excited. April 10, 2009

Have I got great news for every single vegan, vegetarian, eco-conscious, and socially conscious fashionista out there. But before I get to the good stuff, let me make how much I myself am relishing this news crystal-clear.

When I was a baby, I had booties in every color of the rainbow. At age two, I had a red velvet winter cloak with white faux fur trim (despite living in steaming-hot LA). Up until I was about five and my rambunctious younger brother’s antics started placing more demands on the adults, I had a slew of adorable little outfits, several with matching bags (yes, even at that tender age), all handmade by Grandma. I LOVE beautiful clothes and accessories.

To this day, I dream of having one hell of a shoe closet. I imagine gorgeous shoes neatly displayed on library-style shelves (made of salvaged wood and painted with no-VOC paints, of course), with handbags (and my shocking-pink Schiaparelli hat box) displayed on the top shelves like a collection of priceless objets d’art. A watercolor painting of my favorite red handbag hangs on the back wall, its subtle color variations set off by a gorgeous vintage chandelier (do they make CFL bulbs for chandeliers?).

You get the idea. And if you love ethical fashion, you may have harbored a similar fantasy yourself. I know several of my friends have.

(A superficial goal? Well, yes. But let the record show that a. it’s far from being the only thing I want to accomplish in my life, b. I DO in fact care about serious environmental and social issues, and c. have touched on those issues in this blog in the past and will continue to do so in the future. If I can’t dance, it’s not my revolution.)

That fantasy is now a few steps closer to coming true, and not just for those lucky few veg*ns with trust funds or high-paying jobs.

When Matt & Nat, long the mainstay of fashionable, decent-quality vegan bags and wallets, started raising prices, I didn’t bat an eye. As a retailer, I get to see and handle the samples in person before placing orders, and immediately noticed the materials and workmanship were both of significantly better quality than in the past. One gets what one pays for. (Case in point: I have, courtesy of eBay, a pink Mini Manhattan made way back when Matt & Nat was still using shiny vinyl. There’s a reason those bags used to be dirt cheap, and one look at that bag will tell you why. As adorable as it is, it’s definitely a cheaply-made bag.)

When Matt & Nat bags started getting close to the $300 mark, however, the veg*n market balked. The bags were better than ever (it was the first season we didn’t have to send back any items with faulty zippers) and greener than ever (courtesy of really nice recycled materials). But, people who were used to paying $95 for a PVC bag didn’t like the idea of paying $285 for an updated version of the same bag, even if the hardware was much more reliable and the fabric was made of recycled plastic. I can’t blame them, but I can’t control what my suppliers choose to do, and fashion companies have to actually make a decent profit to keep doing new and innovative things.

A few months ago, I discovered Matt & Nat had a new line in the works: Samsara. Today, we received the Samsara autumn/winter catalog in the mail, and I squealed so loudly I’m pretty sure they heard me in Montreal.

The Samsara collection will come in two finishes (patent and pebble), and features a mix of new designs and a few that were clearly inspired by earlier Matt & Nat bags. They are gorgeous, and one of the available colors will be a great shade of red. Bonus: for every bag sold, Samsara will donate one dollar to the Enough Project, the Canadian Women’s Foundation, Earthsave Canada, or the WSPA. I can’t wait to get these on the shelves – and I’m tempted to order an extra “Martin” bag in red pebble for myself! (Sorry, ladies – I will not be posting pictures today as I lack a scanner.) The best part? All items in the range will retail for $28 (for a coin purse) to $155 (for a large bag). Beats spending $350 on just one thing, right?

If shoes are more your thing, get ready to scream.

I also got one of the trade papers in the mail yesterday. In it was a pretty decent roundup of eco-friendly labels…and five of the six featured brands are all-vegan! (I was also pleased to see the editorial staff held off on the snotty attitude they’ve previously taken with eco-friendly and vegan brands. Finally, a little respect!)

Beyond Skin, a British company which makes gorgeous animal-free women’s shoes, is introducing a new line, Beyond Skin Sole, which will be quite a bit more affordable than their primary line or the fancier Sui Generis range. To my British friends, Beyond Skin is relatively inexpensive, but when the exchange rate, duty fees, and shipping from the UK to California are taken into account…ouch. Were it not for that, I’d have had them on the shelves two years ago. But, the new line should run from $100-120 retail, which is more than reasonable for such beautiful good-quality shoes.

Charmoné and Olsen Haus continue to do what they do best, but as they’ll still run up to $250 retail, I’ll have to take a better look at them after the recession is over. Neuaura, of course, are already on the shelves, but they will be even more comfortable than the current collection, and there just may be a men’s line in the works for future seasons! (I know what I’ll eventually give my boyfriend for one of his birthdays…good thing he trusts my taste in clothes.)

My favorite piece of news comes from Mink Shoes, a label based in LA but handmade in Italy. The line is moving more toward 100 percent sustainability (let’s see a cheapo brand do THAT), with increased use of organic materials (gorgeous ones, not just coarse undyed hemp). Even better, the company wants to eventually bring the price point down to a VERY reasonable number. Who knows if that will happen this year, but if and when it does happen, I’ll be waiting…and the store shelves will be ready. (I’m dying to buy the strappy red velvet “Cat” sandal pictured in the article, though I do wish it had been available a few years ago, as it’s definitely made for prowling!)

So…if you love gorgeous shoes and bags that happen to be animal-friendly (and worker-friendly – all the suppliers listed are also opposed to sweatshops), you’re in for some fun when the fall-winter collections start to arrive at the end of summer. (I now get more excited about fall shipments than I do about my own birthday, which has fallen on a delivery day for the past two years.)

And now I have to wonder how I will ever LIVE until September.

Elizabeth Olsen Rocks! March 17, 2009

I periodically stop by Huntington Central Library, take the elevator up to the periodicals floor, and spend an hour or two there reading all the fashion magazines to stay on top of current trends. This past Saturday, I was disgusted to see an article in Lucky Magazine falsely claim that “eco friendly” leather exists. It doesn’t. Anyone with a basic understanding of textile science would know that…but most people who consider themselves veg*n or eco-conscious don’t study textile production (these days, most people, veg or not, don’t), and some are duped into buying “vegetable dyed” or “vegetable tanned” leather, mistakenly believing it to be a greener choice than all synthetics.

I’ve been on the Girlie Girl Army mailing list for a while (and highly recommend it). I was glad to see the latest newsletter link back to a GGA blog entry from five days ago, guest-written by Elizabeth Olsen, who designs the Olsen Haus vegan shoe line.

For years, I have been trying to use my knowledge and background for the better, especially as it relates to animal-friendly shopping. I answer a dozen questions a day about vegan footwear, including plenty about its environmental effects. I even penned an article for (now-defunct) Herbivore Magazine including the subject, though as the online format proved unpopular with many readers, very few people actually got around to reading it. (I’d link to the article, but the website seems to have vanished. Perhaps when ex-editor Josh Hooten is back in town I’ll seek permission to post it here, as it’s still saved on my hard drive. He’s on a 600-mile bike ride to raise money for Farm Sanctuary and I hate to bother people when they’re on the road.)

In addition to my schooling and personal experience, I put in over 100 hours of my own research for the article. Yet, it’s appalling how many people don’t want to accept the facts (or don’t want to believe me for some reason…for the record, I did NOT profit from that article in any way; it was written strictly as a public service). Elizabeth has been vegan for much, much longer than I have, and has done more research than I have, so hopefully the eco/veggie community will listen to her.

In the comments, one ill-informed reader actually had the nerve to inquire (rather rudely, I thought) whether Elizabeth had actually researched labor issues and the chemicals/byproducts involved in synthetic vs. leather manufacturing. Obviously, she did. One cannot possibly hope to have a serious discussion about the environmental effects of leather or synthetics without researching any chemicals or byproducts involved, and no true vegan would knowingly support child labor. A socially conscious vegan designer would, of course, do her own research concerning the precise origins of the materials available to her (assuming she knew what she was doing, and it’s clear Ms. Olsen does). Of course, Elizabeth is smart enough not to take such a ridiculous inquiry lying down, and replies:

Because this is a blog, I don’t have the space to go into depth with your issues , but… there is skirting around the real issue of the tremendous harm leather causes, obviously to the animals, but also the environment,….Yes, I have done extensive research over the last 20 years, have you?

Thank you, Elizabeth Olsen (and GGA founder Chloé Jo Berman) for bringing the truth to light. Keep it up – stylish people who love animals, the planet, or both need you.

Veg*ns: Don’t Ask Fashion Girl February 16, 2009

I spent my Saturday afternoon at the FIDM gallery in downtown LA, enjoying the 17th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibit. Costumes from “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” “The Other Boleyn Girl,” and several other well-dressed films are featured – it’s well worth the trip if you can make it before the exhibit closes on March 29. (Warning: some of the film costumes incorporate real fur. Sadly, not all costume designers have caught on that real fur is cruel, disgusting, and not at all necessary for the silver screen when there are so many realistic fakes out there.)

(Side note: the exhibit also featured a mock snack-bar display complete with an old snack-bar intermission film…including creepily suicidal hot dogs. The most disturbing clip of all featured a feminine-looking hot dog styling a mustard-and-relish “hairdo” in front of a vanity, then slipping on a bun like it was an expensive evening coat. Dolling oneself up to be eaten… Carol Adams would certainly have something to say about that! I’d submit that clip to Suicide Food, but it isn’t available for viewing online.)

FIDM, or Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, is a private college that prepares students for careers in fashion and various related fields. They’re also something of a community fashion resource, putting together and hosting fashion-related exhibits (including a television costume exhibit every summer), maintaining one of the world’s largest fashion libraries, serving as the permanent home of the Annette Green Perfume Museum (worth a visit when it’s open – call ahead before making the trip), and even providing its own online advice column, Ask Fashion Girl.

For the most part, Fashion Girl’s answers to questions are good. However, she gave an extremely poor and completely unresearched answer to one reader – a vegetarian named Robin wanting to know where to buy leather-free apparel without having to rely on (eew! ick! evil!) Payless.

Fashion Girl’s answer:

Payless and other inexpensive shoe and clothes stores are where you are going to find artificial, or vegetarian, leather. As they go up in price, stores pride themselves on carrying the real thing (in this case, genuine leather), so the lower-priced stores are where it makes sense to be sleuthing fake fashion finds.

The good news is that some of the more inexpensive stores are really trendy and are able to”knock-off,”or reproduce, the latest styles in imitation materials really quickly and cheaply.

Payless is just about the best place to find imitation leather shoes, since their styles change pretty often and they have a wide selection. I also recommend stores such as Walmart and K-Mart for faux leather and suede, and possibly JC Penney.

Look for a discount store near you that specializes in”disposable fashion”– trendy styles that are super-cheap and meant to be worn for a short time, then tossed aside. This is where you are more likely to find faux suede and leather.

In other words, FG’s advice boils down to “I can’t be bothered to do any real research, so just keep buying crap.”

When the article was posted, vegan-friendly companies like Matt & Nat, Vegetarian Shoes, Queen Bee, and Truth Belts had already been in business for years. Even Stella McCartney’s brand-new label was gaining notice at the time. A quick online search would have unearthed all of them, and probably more. There is no excuse for such a crappy response.

Robin specified that she was looking for stores other than Payless (it doesn’t take a genius to realize their wares are not at all a good investment). Yet, FG lazily tells her Payless is where to go. She also tells her to buy cheap knockoffs, which I’ve ranted and railed about in previous posts (long story short: cheap knockoffs are EVIL).  Worst of all, she lists other stores that specialize in low-quality materials, highly questionable workmanship, and horrid conditions for employees…and “disposable fashion”, which generates much more waste than investment fashion. Real smart of FG, given that most vegetarians also have a soft spot for the environment.

FG had a great opportunity to give herbivores a much-needed voice in the world of style. Instead, she silenced the sartorial voices of Robin and any other plant-eaters reading the column. She screwed up, and I can only hope her answer will be removed from the archives so no one ever sees it again…without me having to call in a favor from a FIDM professor I know. (Which I’m not above doing. I want the entire vegetarian community to know they don’t ever have to buy awful shoes again, even if I don’t personally profit from that knowledge.)

Here is how my response to Robin would have read:

Dear Robin,

Fortunately, it has gotten easier to purchase leather-free goods in recent years, and you no longer have to set foot in cheap chain stores to do it.

There are several all-vegetarian apparel companies, and some companies that do use leather or suede have begun to produce vegetarian styles.

For sneakers, Macbeth makes several vegan styles every season, and they are clearly labeled as such. Ethletics makes fair-trade, sustainable, organic sneakers similar to Converse (real Converse sneakers have bone glue and are made by Nike, don’t buy ‘em). Check with your nearest New Balance or Saucony store if you want a more athletic shoe.

I strongly recommend owning at least one pair of Vegetarian Shoes – they make sturdy boots, low heels, basic flats, sneakers, belts (mostly in basic brown or black), some dressier shoes, animal-friendly shoe polish, and even offer a basic nylon ripper wallet. (These are probably not going to be the fancy shoes you wear out clubbing – they’re workhorse shoes. They’re made of better-quality materials than cheap chain-store shoes – most styles breathe well and are waterproof. VS’ wares are of good quality, sweat-free, and can last for years with proper care.)

For cuter, fancier, feminine shoes on a budget, I recommend Madden Girl over other budget brands. Madden Girl is part of the Steve Madden empire, and is of somewhat better quality than most inexpensive shoes. MG has flats and heels in the $30-45 range, which is a bit more than some cheaper lines, but they are made with somewhat-better materials. (Truthfully, the materials don’t breathe as well as the quality brands, but you get what you pay for.)

For women’s shoes on a mid-range budget, NeuAura rules. I live in my NeuAuras. The designer worked for a high-end label before starting the company, so she understands the importance of good fit, good structure, and good materials. Bonus: NeuAura shoes are made in a fair-trade green factory.

If you like your belts to be a little more interesting, there’s always Truth Belts. Materials include a variety of fabrics as well as realistic faux leather in black or brown, patent or matte. Vegan Erotica also makes belts. Both companies make their goods by hand, not in sweatshops.

Queen Bee Creations and Matt & Nat both make bags and wallets – QB in colorful PVC-free vinyl and Matt & Nat in a variety of fake leathers and other fabrics (they are focusing more on sustainable and recycled materials these days). English Retreads and Used Rubber USA make accessories out of recycled rubber from tires (the rubber smell dissipates somewhat with time, though some people really dislike it). M&N has raised prices significantly to cover the cost of going greener, so if you truly cannot afford their goods,  eBay often has listings for older, discontinued pieces (it’s where I bought my beloved M&N Slick travel bag in the highly-coveted patent black), but don’t count on finding anything from the current season.

Beyond Skin hand-makes women’s shoes in two lines – one basic, one higher-end, all gorgeous. MINK makes handmade vegan women’s shoes at the higher end, and if the sky’s the limit (alas, for me it is not), Stella McCartney’s got you covered (she also does some belts). Veg Italian Style makes very classic men’s and women’s styles, if exchange rates and shipping from Italy aren’t a deterrent. There is one higher-end men’s vegetarian shoe company, Noharm, though as the market for top-of-the-line men’s veg shoes is still a small one, I haven’t yet seen a pair in action.

As for faux suede, do a search for Ultrasuede. Ultrasuede is a very realistic faux suede – many people never realize it’s not cow suede – and is often used to inexpensively manufacture garments that resemble suede. As it’s so close to springtime, the pickings might be slim, so search again in late August to mid-September and something is bound to turn up. (Or, you can DIY: find an Ultrasuede dealer, buy a few yards, and make the exact jacket you want. It’s what I did when I couldn’t find the mid-calf-length faux leopard coat I wanted.) There are other brands of faux suede out there (Louis Vuitton even uses one to line their trunks!), but Ultrasuede will be the easiest to find.

I hope you find this information useful, and good luck building the wardrobe you want!

- Vegan Shoe Lady