13 CHIC AND SUSTAINABLE BOOTS FOR FALL AND WINTER
Sustainable fashion and a sustainable lifestyle in general, can sometimes feel like a looong road trip that doesn’t really end.
It’s easy to get caught up in feeling like you’ll never be able to buy sustainable products to live ‘truly’ sustainably and that whatever you already own isn’t good enough.
It’s this consumer-driven attitude that makes it hard to enjoy the journey- and honestly solely focusing on the next thing you can buy to be sustainable, actually isn’t that sustainable.
Instead, we should focus on using what we already own, caring for our pieces and making them last and then replacing the item with a sustainable option at the end of its life.
To help promote a re-thinking of what sustainable fashion means, I’ve created a new series, From the Toes Up.
This series features buying guides and tips to consider when purchasing new sustainable pieces- again, only when you’ve burned through your existing ones, as well as care guidelines to help make your new closet addition last as long as possible, all to help you build the sustainable closet of your dreams.
Today we’re starting with- you guessed it- the ‘toes’ part of the series, or more specifically, footwear.
Below you’ll find the key terms and materials to look out for when selecting sustainable boots, recommended brand, as well as sustainable boot care tips to keep your sustainable boots in tip top shape.
Components of a Sustainable Boot
When it comes to shopping for sustainable boots, here’s a guideline for what to look out for:
- Upper: vegan leather, vegetable tanned animal-based leather, deadstock leather where possible
- Outsole: rubber (Fair Trade, responsibly sourced, recycled where possible)
- Insole: vegan leather or natural fabric
- Lining: organic cotton or natural fabric is ideal for breathability
- Laces: look for laces that have metal aglets as opposed to plastic
One common component of a lot of sustainable boots included in this list below, is the inclusion of vegan or animal- based leather.
If you want to take a deep dive into both types of leather and decide which option is best for you, check out this post here.
Also be sure to check out this sustainable shopping guide for clothing.
For reference, the brands below are priced in USD.
Price Range:
$= typically under $150
$$= typically under $300
$$$= typically under $500
$$$= typically $500+
Alice & Whittles
Alice and Whittles offers functional and minimalistic footwear.
They carry hiking boots, rain boots, sneakers, boot laces, insoles.
Based in Ontario, ship worldwide
They use natural fair trade rubber, re-claimed ocean plastics, recycled PET, vegan water based glue
Price Range: $
All of its supply chain is traced
Favorite Item: Classic Black Riding Rain Boot
AERA
AERA is a luxury vegan footwear brand that offsets their environmental impact 110%.
They carry women’s boots, flats, heels, sandals, loafers, mules, platform sandals, pumps, men’s boots, derbies, loafers
Based in New York, ships throughout US
They use recycled ABS plastic, Thunit leather, bio polyols from field corn, cotton, polyester, polyurethane, poly-viscose, polystyrene, nylon
Price Range: $$$$
Certifications: Positive Luxury Brands to Trust, PETA, Carbon Negative by SCS Global Services
Favorite Item: the Gisele
Beyond Skin
Beyond Skin is a luxury vegan footwear brand that offers timeless and seasonless shoes.
They carry women’s sandals, flats, boots, heels, loafers, pumps, trainers, mules, accessories.
Based in England, ships worldwide
They use cotton-backed polyurethane (PU) leather, recycled faux leather, vegetable polymer coating, polyester satin
Their packaging is recycled or recyclable
Price Range: $$$
Certifications: PETA
Most of its supply chain is traced
Give Back Programs: donates 5% of profits to grass-root environmental and social projects
Favorite Item: Kelly Black Block Heel Over The Knee Vegan Boots
Bionda Castana
Bionda Castana offers a zero-waste made to order footwear system.
They carry women’s pumps, sandals, mules, mid-heels, flats, boots.
Based in UK, ships worldwide
They use recycled materials
Price Range: $$$$
Favorite Item: Sahar Khaki Calf Suede Fringed Ankle Boot 100 MM
Coclico
They carry boots, clogs, flats, pumps
Based in New York, ships worldwide
They use vegetable tanned leather, rubber, shearling, suede
Price Range: $$$
Most of its supply chain is traced
Favorite Item: Darbette Boot
Christy Dawn
They carry dresses, jumpsuits, bottoms, tops, footwear, outerwear, kids’ wear
Based in California, ships worldwide
They use deadstock leather, organic cotton
Price Range: $$$
All of its supply chain is traced
Favorite Item: The Dawn Boot
Good Guys
They carry women’s boots, sneakers, clogs, mules, sandals, flats, men’s boots, sneakers, clogs, sandals, casual shoes, accessories
Based in France, ships worldwide
They use vegan leather, wood, AppleSkin
Packaging: shoe boxes made from recycled paper
Certications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, PETA
Price Range: $$
Favourite Item: Lucky Brown Vegan Western Boots
Nae
They carry women’s boots, flats, sandals, sneakers, heels, men’s boots, sneakers, sandals
Based in Portugal, ships worldwide
They use Pinatex, organic cotton, cork, recycled PET, vegan leather (mix of cotton, polyester and nylon)
Certications: PETA
Price: $
Favorite Item: Luce Black Vegan Boots
Nisolo
They carry women’s boots, sneakers, flats, oxfords, loafers, mules, sandals, men’s boots, sneakers, loafers, slip ons, oxfords
Based in Tennessee, ships throughout US
They use leather
Price Range: $$
Favorite Item: Classic Chelsea Boot
Noah
They carry men’s boots, shoes, loafers, sneakers, women’s boots, shoes, loafers, sneakers, heels, flats
Based in Germany, ships worldwide
They use polyester, cork, rubber
Certications: PETA
Price Range: $$
Most of its supply chain is traced
Favorite Item: Ginevra Vegan Boot
RAFA
They carry sandals, boots, mules, pumps, custom heels and sandals
Based in California, ships worldwide
They use recycled materials
Price Range: $$$
Favorite Item: Sock Boot in Sloe
Womsh
They carry men’s and women’s sneakers, women’s boots
Based in Italy, ships worldwide
They use chrome-free leather from slaughtering waste, AppleSkin, polyurethane
They use recycled packaging
Price Range: $$
Most of its supply chain is traced
Favorite Item: Vegan Loop White
Will’s Vegan Store
They carry women’s shoes, accessories, knitwear, men’s shoes, accessories, knitwear, kids’ shoes
Based in UK, ships worldwide
They use vegan leather, rubber, vegan suede
Certications: PETA
Price Range: $
Favorite Item: Riding Boots
Sustainable Boot Care
One major component of sustainable fashion is proper garment care- this includes boot care too!
To ensure your sustainable boots last as long as possible, here are some boot care tips to consider:
For waterproof vegan leather boots:
- To remove any dirt, wipe with warm water, soap and a cloth or brush, then dry
For non-waterproof vegan leather boots:
- For general maintenance or to remove dirt, using a synthetic leather shoe cleaner, water and a soft brush, gently scrub then wipe with a clean cloth to dry
For vegan suede boots:
- Gently wipe with a damp cloth to remove any dirt
For animal- based leather boots:
- Clean using a soft dry cloth.
- Be sure to use a leather protectant spray
For animal-based suede boots:
- Be sure to use a suede protectant spray
- To remove dirt, gently brush with a designated suede brush
Always consult the care guidelines provided by the manufacturer on their website for the most accurate care information, specific to your ethical boots.
If you want to learn more about how to properly care for your garments, check out this post.
Until next time,
