stylish options do exist!
A client with a sports injury sought help finding stylish orthic friendly shoes. Yes, I know – not an easy task. To add to the challenge, they prefer vegan footwear.
For me it was Stella McCartney who started the conversation about vegan footwear. There were a couple of issues that posed one was affordability. I wasn’t in a position to buy from Stella McCartney but, even if I could, the size options were simply not available. Nonetheless as a dedicated fashionista I did eventually find the brands and have the means to purchase some fabulous shoes, thank you Stuart Weitzman. This means I have acquired a good knowledge of where to get shoes that might fit the client’s brief, whew! After I put together some recommendations, I thought I might share them in case you too are wondering where to start.
To begin, do not despair. There are brands that offer stylish and fun vegan and non-leather options. A vegan range that came out this summer is a Melissa Shape x Lazy Oaf collaboration. These vegan shoes smell great too. In Canberra Momento Dezigns in Manuka (trading as frockaholics online) stocks them.
A wider range of options, including the cutest handbags to match, are available from Miss Gladys Sym Choon which is one of Adelaide’s best retailers and who also featured in a recent blog about where to shop in the Adelaide CBD Check out the lime green pair.
In Canberra, the local orthotic retailer is Frawley’s Shoes at 20 Garema Place, Civic. Of the brands they carry, the following offer vegan options: Alegria and Arcopedico. They also stock Frankie 4 and Klouds (the later is a very wide fitting) which occasionally do vegan options. Though if going non-leather is the aim then there are other brands using canvas for example that might appear.
Nearby Frawley’s is Redpath Shoes at 6 Garema Place. Their vegan shoe range includes vegan Dr Martens. If you are a wider fitting you might find the vegan Naturalista shoes work for you.
In Adelaide the go-tos for orthotic or hard to fit feet are Angels Shoes and Ian’s Shoes, the later has the brand Beautiful Feel which often create vegan options though they only go to a size 42EU.
Peter Sheppherd’s from Melbourne specialise in beautiful shoes and hard to fit feet. They also carry Beautiful Feel. They often have the most stylish vegan options you are likely to find
There is a dedicated vegan footwear retailer in Melbourne called Vegan Style to check out.
Another brand with a good vegan collection is Rollie Nation. The styles are more casual but they have vegan boots which might appeal if you are not into Dr Martens . The Iconic which stocks Rollie’s shoes and Dr Marten’s is worth exploring for other vegan options. Finding larger sizes may be an issue though.
Moving away from strictly vegan options, Vivaia makes its shoes from recycled plastic. They have a nice range of flats that might appeal.
Other options offering non-leather footwear include: Cariuma Camper Converse and Allbirds though, other than Converse for women. you may be disappointed with the size options. My recommendation for trainers, joggers, sandshoes is ASICS. They consistently cater for women with a good range of size options. If you are struggling to find affordable shoes that fit, try the Queensland based Big On Shoes. They stock a wide range of affordable brands such as the New Zealand based Bresley The breadth of their range of practical shoes means you will have a good chance of finding something suitable. They also have an efficient returns process.
I could not finish this blog without talking about a couple of my favourite international brands that offer vegan clothing. The first is Nanushka who make the most beautiful and stylish vegan leather clothes. This brand is stocked by DJ’s and while you won’t find their clothes in the Canberra DJ’s if you are in Sydney or Melbourne you might want to check them out. Nanushka is also stocked by Net-a-porter The OUTNET MyTheresa Moda Operandi and FarFetch. All have vegan shoe options including Dr Martens and they stock Stella McCartney – so we come full circle. The limitation as always will be that they tend not to stock the size options that cater to hard-to-fit feet.
The last brand to mention is the American Staud Clothing. They offer stylish vegan clothing. The best thing about this brand is that they cater for a curvaceous body shape. So, if you have curves, this is a brand that is well worth checking out. You will find it offered by some of the global e-tailers already mentioned. Let me know at stylist@bottlegreenandyellow.com if I have missed any of your favourites. Happy shopping, till next time.
