Materials & Construction For Vegan Wares Products

With 25 years of vegan footwear and accessories manufacturing experience under our belt, we selectively choose only the best non-leather materials and time tested methodology. The materials we choose are expensive because they arise from complex technologies, and achieve the highest quality standards.

Please be aware to companies that make claims on sustainability without full disclosure of their materials. When it comes to production practices, lack of transparency and greenwashing are serious issues.

We encourage other manufacturers and retailers of vegan and vegetarian footwear to declare the ingredients of their products. Then consumers will be in a position to evaluate and compare the relative qualities of each product.

We also encourage other manufacturers and retailers to make a genuine and tangible commitment to environmental sustainability. Unsustainable products, regardless of whether or not they are cruelty free, can be just as detrimental to animals as products that inflict cruelty.

The main materials used and their applications are:

State of the art strong & breathable synthetic leather. Used for footwear uppers, wallets, purses, footballs, some belts and other accessories. Ecolorica is a purposefully designed to mimic leather at a microscopic level so you experience the same durability, pliability and comfort without the cruelty. In 25 years of manufacturing, we have not come across a material that beats Ecolorica’s performance. 

An excellent synthetic leather but non-breathable. Soft, strong and scuff resistant, this material is ideally used in our belts & and some wallets. 

An eco friendly textile made from pineapple leaf fibre. Pinatex is a wonderful use of what would otherwise be agricultural waste but it lacks resilience to rough wear and tear. To maximise its potential we combine Pinatex with Ecolorica to enhance product durability and often use it for bags and shoes. We also use Pinatex for smaller accessories (coin pouches, clutches etc.) that do not experience to heavy wear.

BRANDS WE STOCK

SOLING MATERIALS

  • Rubber, thermoplastic rubber, thermoplastic urethane for out-soles. 
  • Texon cellulose board, or non-woven board for most shoeboards
  • Resin for most midsoles and randing. 

For our ‘Vegan Wares’ branded Australian made footwear, three different construction methods are used:

  1. For most flat soled shoes & boots intended for heavy-duty use the uppers are glued to the shoe board & then stitched to a resin or micro-cell mid-board. The outsole is then glued to the mid-board. This method produces a sturdy and very long-lasting shoe. It also makes resoling easy because the shoe will not fall apart when the old sole is pulled off.  Most shoe repairers are able to resole shoes made in this manner and have access to suitable soling materials.
  2. For heeled shoes, office wear and other items which are not intended for heavy use, the uppers & out-soles are glued directly to the shoe board. This method can also be suitable for urban walking shoes that have a specially moulded unit sole.
  3. For hiking boots and shoes, uppers are usually stitched to a robust shoeboard before the outsole is glued on.  Hiking soles often last for the life for the boot /shoe.  But if necessary we can replace the soles when the old ones are worn down.

Because we only use rubber soles, when the soles of shoes made in this manner wear thin they can be patched by a local shoe repairer. Periodic patching is generally all that will be required if thee shoes are well maintained.