It’s that time of year again. We’ve rounded up our favourite ethical and vegan shoe brands for autumn that are suitable for both men and women.
Jessie Dodd
Wed 30 Mar 2022
Put the pumps and flip flops away and embrace the laces, socks and support of a new pair of boots.
From fair trade factories to organic materials and social enterprises, each of these sustainable footwear brands is helping to change the world.
Walk the talk in one of these ethical and/or vegan pairs of shoes.
Let us know which one you like the look of most in the comments at the bottom of the feature!
Quick links to pebble's fave vegan and ethical shoe brands
15 Ethical (Some Are Vegan Too) Shoe Brands For Autumn
1. BANGS
BANGS was inspired by its founder's travels in Asia.
An Asian family-owned factory creates these vegan friendly, unisex shoes for fair wages.
20% of profits also provide recyclable loans for entrepreneurs worldwide. They’ve given out 700 so far.
We're in love with this quirky US map pair you can colour in. These are no nonsense, easy going boots for everyday adventures.
Rev up some autumn adventures in these vegan kicks
2. TOMS
Everyone needs everyday trainers and TOMS does more than just slip on espadrilles. Its boots and shoes are super comfortable in whatever style you want.
These birch canvas guys are part of the TRVL LITE collection with the lightest sole the brand has ever made.
There's a cork covered footbed with some small leather details. And with all TOMS shoes, you get a pair and so does a child in need.
These super comfortable TOMS high tops will become a suitcase staple
3. Fortress of Inca
Mules, flats and boots are the name of the game from Peruvian based Fortress of Inca.
Its stylish delights are perfect for stepping it up at work but not stepping all over the planet. These are ethical leather shoes with heart.
Each pair is handmade in Peru by fairly paid artisans in sustainable workshops. They combine the heritage of their textiles with a modern shoe silhouette.
Yup, Fortress of Inca's ethical leather shoes are this good
4. Baabuk
Baabuk is a great example of just how versatile wool can be. Its trainers for men and women are made out of 100% felted wool.
They’re naturally breathable and antibacterial and the felted wool is also water-repellent.
Inspired by the felted boots Russians wore in Siberia, this Swiss brand founded its own ethical workshop in Nepal.
It also has a factory in Portugal, where it uses wool from happy sheep who graze nearby.
Winning in wool over at Baabuk who are inspired by Siberian felted boots
5. Handmade Barcelona
Handmade Barcelona's's ethically sourced leather shoes are made in Colombia. There the brand has set up 12 fair trade workshops that train shoemakers to become entrepreneurs and run their own community workshops.
The leather is leftover from the food industry, tanned ecologically and is eco-certified.
The boots and Oxford shoes for men and women are gorgeous. Comfy, super stylish and reasonably priced.
Mamahuhu employs a lot of female artisans and lets them work flexible hours to fit in around their kids
6. Veja
One of Emma Watson’s favourites, ethical and vegan shoe brand, Veja, produces trend lead trainers for urban explorers.
High quality organic materials like cotton and rubber are sourced sustainably. They're then turned into endless styles with the iconic brand V on the side of each shoe.
Not every collection is vegan but there are enough vegan leather trainers to keep non-leather lovers happy.
Emma Watson's trainer brand du jour have vegan and non vegan versions that channel inner city Paris
7. Beyond Skin
Looking for vegan shoes that don’t shout vegan?
PETA approved Beyond Skin hand makes all its styles from heels to trainers in Spain using eco-friendly materials.
From camel coloured ankle boots to knee-high black faux suede numbers (made from 100% recycled PET plastics) and pewter brogues, Beyond Skin operates like a regular footwear brand, - only there’s no leather or PVC.
There are hundreds of styles of flats, casual shoes and vegan heels to choose from. Enough to keep even the most dedicated shoe shopper happy.
Discover vegan heels of every shape and colour at Beyond Skin
8. Funky Kalakar
Indian inspired ethical shoe and accessories brand Funky Kalakar is vegan friendly.
It uses an ancient Indian vegetable dying technique to colour and pattern the cotton. Recycled tyres are used for the soles.
Shoes come in either a lace-up or slip on design in a huge array of colours. Perfect for a little light touch of dandy style this autumn.
Who knew tyres could look so good?
9. Green Shoes
Green Shoes is a sustainable footwear brand based in Devon.
The team make each pair in the workshop using ethically sourced leather and quality materials. They can make each style as a vegan shoe too.
Pick from ready to wear hearty work boots that will last years or T bar sandals, mocassins and pumps. We love the look of the relaxed Tavistock boot. Or go bespoke!
Green Shoes can also make shoes in four different widths, so pick your style and colour and away you go.
Handmade in Devon, Green Shoes are great for ethical fashion lovers
10. Langbrett
Even the skate shoe has had an ethical makeover.
These ones from German brand Langbrett are made from chrome free leather, lined with organic cotton fleece and made with recycled cork soles.
Langbrett goes above and beyond in sourcing materials.
It keeps its own sheep flock to make wool and its profits go back into developing its skating community in Germany.
Ethical skate shoes that have a soul. Langbrett do good no matter who wears these unisex kicks
11. Nisolo
Championing ethical shoe production, Nisolo is a sustainable shoe brand that wears its heart on its sleeve.
Stylish shoes and boots for guys and girls come off its production line, where healthcare, higher than fair trade wages and a healthy working environment is a standard for its workers.
It even built its own factory to showcase how others can raise the bar. Nisolo uses traditional Peruvian shoemaking skills to turn out simply gorgeous and quality shoes.
It does use leather but the leather comes from ethical tanneries that have eco-friendly waste disposal systems.
Outside the US? Here's another way to buy Nisolo online.
Stylish leather shoes in all shapes and sizes from this ethical Peruvian brand
12. Po-Zu
Feel the force (sorry we had to) of the new Star Wars collection of shoes at Po-Zu, the acclaimed ethical and vegan footwear brand.
While you can get regular trainers (we love the metallics and the ones made of cork), the BB-8 high-tops are pretty hard to ignore. They feature organic cotton, a cork lining and a natural rubber sole.
All of Po-Zu's animal-friendly shoes are made by hand in Portugal or Sri Lanka at eco-friendly factories.
See here about how it makes its sustainable sneaker line.
No toxic dyes are used, nearly all waste is recycled and shoes are shipped by sea rather than air.
Make like Rey and use the force for good with these ethical high-tops
13. Juta Shoes
Fellow Blue Patch winners (did we tell you we won an award?), social enterprise Juta Shoes is based in London and runs workshops where you can learn to make your own reclaimed leather shoes.
This UK ethical brand uses eco-friendly materials and employs marginalised local women to create sliders and espadrilles.
Juta Shoes also run workshops where you can make your own shoes from reclaimed leather
14. Novesta
Novesta has been making rubber-soled shoes for nearly 100 years in Slovakia.
Not much has changed in the process. It sources sustainably grown natural rubber and cotton and each pair is hand-finished.
The eco-friendly shoe production doesn’t use any chemicals and this sustainable brand is a fab everyday choice for no fuss trainers that don’t cost the earth.
Slovakia has kept Novesta a secret for nearly a 100 years
15. Oliberte
Oliberté is the proud owner of the first Fairtrade footwear factory in the world.
This sustainable footwear brand supports workers rights in sub-Saharan Africa, with a factory in Ethiopia that goes above and beyond for its employees.
But just as importantly, it also makes amazing ethically produced shoes.
Everything from Oxfords to chukkas, sneakers to wedges are produced here from local leathers.
It’s a perfect brand to bring out the inner adventurer in you, we love the rustic charm that seems to exude from each pair.
Changing lives one pair of shoes at a time. Oliberte runs a life-changing factory in Ethiopia
If you still want more...
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