Vegan boots

By Euronews

Published on 12/11/2018 - 18:00•Updated 13/11/2018 - 11:48

Cruelty-free winter footwear

Personal health, climate change, environmental concerns, animal welfare… are the main reasons why people and brands are embracing a plant-based lifestyle. What was once a marginal phenomenon has now become a mainstream trend to the point of having whole festivals dedicated to it. Far from being “just” a diet, veganism is a different approach to consumption where fashion plays a crucial role. Fur is less and less an issue with prominent luxury brands pledging to ban it from their collection but other textiles and materials like leather - especially coming from exotic animals - are still cause for concern.

Indeed, most leather comes from developing countries such as India and China, where animal welfare laws are either non-existent or not enforced. In India, a PETA investigation found that "workers break cows’ tails and rub chili peppers and tobacco into their eyes in order to force them to get up and walk after they collapse from exhaustion on the way to the slaughterhouse". Unless you know where the leather comes from, it’s better to stick with cruelty-free and/or plant-based alternatives.

Warm vegan boots that don’t compromise on style are not so easy to find in the mainstream shopping online space. We’ve rounded-up a few of our favourite ones coming from independent sustainable labels that are worth knowing and some other names you probably already know and need to be put on your radar.