2.02.2006
Shoe Decisions
I am having a shoe dilemma. I was lusting after a pair of Chie Mihara shoes the other day, but since I don't usually spend that much without thinking about it, I left the store without them. I don't have too much of an issue with leather, as long as people are eating meat, but I do wish someone would make a vegetable tanned leather from the hides of organically raised animals. Today I saw some shoes by Aerosoles (above) for a third of the price. As I am saving up money for some "eco" fabrics, I was lured in by the lower prices. But I was just feeling uncomfortable. I know Chie's shoes are made in Spain by people who make a decent living. I asked the salesgirl where the shoes were made and she told me that most of them are made in China. I came home and emailed the company.
Dear Aerosoles,
I recently was in one of your stores and liked several of the styles you are offering for Spring. However, I try to be very conscious of where the products I buy are made. The salesperson told me most of the shoes are made in China. I was wondering if you could assure me that the workers in your factories are paid a decent living wage, treated well and that there are no children working in the factory.
Thank You,
Jill Danyelle
So, we'll see if I get a response. Decisions, decisions. I respect the choice of vegans to go cruelty free, but is pleather worse for the environment than leather? Can leather be viewed as a recycled waste material? I will likely buy Chie's shoes (not the style below, my pick is not available online) because I trust where and how they are made. They just look so well crafted. She also does not follow trends and her designs are timeless, which means I will hang on to them forever. So, in the end, I may be paying more upfront, but if I have them three times as long as the other pair... The other question is why buy any shoes at all I suppose. Well, I love beautiful, well-made things and feel good wearing them. I know this is definitely an indulgence, but since I buy many, many shoes "reused" or vintage an indulgence here and there is not so bad. Is it?
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Oh, I hear you, Jill. As a squeamish vegan, I do not want to support the leather industry. The tanning process is toxic and contributes to mass agriculture that I find cruel and repulsive. But I do not want to put money into lots of PVC or synthetic leather shoes if they are equally as bad for the environment or support non-living wage labor in countries with questionable human rights records. I still own and wear leather shoes that I bought before I became vegan, and I will never get rid of them because I think that would be wasteful (and disrespectful to the animal). I guess I might wear leather again if, like you said, there was a purveyor of vegetable tanned hides from organically raised animals, but my caveat would be that they had to have been dairy cows that died of natural causes.
Okay, everyone can mock me now, but this is how I feel. : >
Jill, I did read once upon a time of "vegan" leather harvested from the sacred cows of India. Once the cows had lived long lives and dies natural deaths, their skins were used as "cruelty-free" leather. I didn't follow up for more information because I didn't see myself becoming my own cobbler (yet!).
Shoes are the most neglected part of my wardrobe because I feel so limited in my choices. Summer is better than winter because I can do the vegan espadrille thingy: hemp jute soles and canvas uppers. Yay!
This entry about leather and shoes is something I hope others will comment on. At least getting leather consumers to talk about getting the industry kinder and greener is a start. But I know what it is like to love beautiful indulgences and justify wearing them forever.
(And yes, I do get lapses of jealousy over all the shoes I can't buy.)
Okay, everyone can mock me now, but this is how I feel. : >
Jill, I did read once upon a time of "vegan" leather harvested from the sacred cows of India. Once the cows had lived long lives and dies natural deaths, their skins were used as "cruelty-free" leather. I didn't follow up for more information because I didn't see myself becoming my own cobbler (yet!).
Shoes are the most neglected part of my wardrobe because I feel so limited in my choices. Summer is better than winter because I can do the vegan espadrille thingy: hemp jute soles and canvas uppers. Yay!
This entry about leather and shoes is something I hope others will comment on. At least getting leather consumers to talk about getting the industry kinder and greener is a start. But I know what it is like to love beautiful indulgences and justify wearing them forever.
(And yes, I do get lapses of jealousy over all the shoes I can't buy.)
Thanks for your comment henri-v. I was just speaking to a friend earlier about still having a lot of things in my wardrobe that I may not necessarily purchase today. But I too think it would be foolish to just throw them away. Instead I am trying to open up this dialogue by posting my pictures and basically saying that I am human, not perfect, but trying to make some changes (that is why it is 50rx3 and not 100!) But, I also don't want to have to sacrifice my style. As greedy as that sounds, I think it is realistic for the masses. Until there are plenty of options that satisfy our esthetic and environmental needs, most people won't even have eco-fashion on their radar. As you know, I am not a vegan, but I would never mock you for your beliefs, just as I wouldn't want to be mocked for mine. I am a live and let live kind of person. I admire people who make such sacrifices for their beliefs. It seems the more we know, the more difficult it becomes to shop! If it weren't for "reused" or vintage I'd be in a pickle!! BTW, I know Stella McCartney isn't exactly cheap, but she is at least making some news with her cruelty free line.
I just bought some vegan-friendly, biodegreable and recyclable shoes from Camper, but I don't think these are the type of shoes you had in mind, since you're looking at cute sandals :)
About vintage/reused shoes though -- Sometimes I wonder if I'm perpetuating unhealthy consumerism by buying shoes at consignment shops -- You know, like Prada loafers that're gently worn.
Having graduated from a public school where girls in public schools will work grueling hrs at McDonalds all just to save up for a sexy pair of designer heels for the prom, I wonder if my gently worn prada loafers are contributing to that kind of cultural mentality...
And how much is too much to pay for such shoes? I just paid a lil over $90 for a cute pair of vintage shoes -- which I'm afraid also contributes to that consumerist culture...
Then again, better have a few, nice, long lasting pieces that I love and appreciate than a ton of cheap, disposable stuff, eh? :)
About vintage/reused shoes though -- Sometimes I wonder if I'm perpetuating unhealthy consumerism by buying shoes at consignment shops -- You know, like Prada loafers that're gently worn.
Having graduated from a public school where girls in public schools will work grueling hrs at McDonalds all just to save up for a sexy pair of designer heels for the prom, I wonder if my gently worn prada loafers are contributing to that kind of cultural mentality...
And how much is too much to pay for such shoes? I just paid a lil over $90 for a cute pair of vintage shoes -- which I'm afraid also contributes to that consumerist culture...
Then again, better have a few, nice, long lasting pieces that I love and appreciate than a ton of cheap, disposable stuff, eh? :)
Yes, three cheers for Stella for taking a stand, though it will be quite some time before I can afford them. And I agree with Siel that it is better to have a few high-quality pieces that you'll wear forever than to keep buying cheap disposable things.
Jill, I am pimping you and your blog in my State of the Fashion Union post today! I love your site and how much information you provide on green style. : )
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Jill, I am pimping you and your blog in my State of the Fashion Union post today! I love your site and how much information you provide on green style. : )
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