Shoe shopping ‘til the cows come home

Posted on by Alli Marshall

Is Myspace rigged so that the ads on each person’s home page are tailored to their specific interests? And I’m not just talking run of the mill hobbies (internet dating, jam-of-the-month) but obscure things even you, yourself, didn’t know you cared about until you see the gleaming ad on the computer screen and realize it’s the very thing to fill the void in your life? For me, it’s vegan shoes.

Okay, I’m not actually a vegan anymore (I was for three years but then had a run-in with an oversized block of Amish cheese. Those damn Amish and their highly addictive dairy products …) but am all for reducing animal suffering and needless cruelty. I have serious leather guilt. Yeah, cows aren’t killed for their hides, but still. It seems rather barbaric, especially when synthetic materials have improved greatly (forget the sweaty K-Mart pleather of yore) and alternate fabrics like canvas, hemp and wool are readily available. Only problem: Non-leather shoes, excepting Converse All-Stars, tend to be pricey.

A bit heavy for a Friday? Ragazzi Vegan has a perfectly whimsical solution: Cute, affordable, animal-friendly footwear. Courting a younger crowd, Regazzi has been prominently placing links to their online store on Myspace. Shop for faux-snakeskin pumps, satin ballet flats, bejeweled heels and men’s work boots. Average price? About $45.

Another great site: Moo Shoes offers trendy gladiators, stacked wedges, and beachy espadrilles. Prices hover closer to the $60 mark, but $19.99 sale specials can be found.

If you can deal with currency conversions, East Sussex-based Vegetarian Shoes has great Doc Martin-inspired boots in bright purple and electric green (about $158 U.S.) and plenty of of-the-moment styles. Owner Robin Webb started the business in 1990, hand-making the shoes with yacht upholstery fabric uppers and recycled car tire soles. These days, the shoes are specially made for the company in European and British factories.

Are there any vegan shoe fans out there who know of local sources for animal-friendly footwear? The Xpress fashion department wants to know!

—Alli Marshall, fashion editor

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About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall
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