ShoeLaLa

New veg shoes alert! UK veg fashion boutique Bourgeois Boheme has launched a line of ethical yet affordable footwear for both women and men.

From the press release:

Handmade and ethically produced in Portugal and India, Bourgeois Boheme’s Espiritual and Jiva ranges offer both men and women an alternative in the world of mainstream fashion, where shoe production is often linked not only with animal suffering but also with workforce exploitation and environmental destruction.

The range is made of microfibre, the highest quality and most eco-friendly leather alternative, and is 100% animal friendly. Even the glue used is water-based.

Each of the designers and factories has been handpicked for their ethical work conditions and kinder-to-life sensibilities: it is important to Bourgeois Boheme that from design to finished item they know exactly how their shoes have been made.

Aside from the warm tingly do-good feeling, this new line thrills me because the shoes are made with a broad range of ethical considerations (take note, Te Casan). Sure, you can find some cheap non-leather PVC shoes at Tack-Mart. But can you really feel good about that? This line aims for compassion in more than one sphere. Non-leather, eco-friendlier materials, ethical work conditions for production, and supporting small business rather than a faceless clone-o-mart.

From the women’s line, I like the Lalita Earth. Simple and classy design, but with funky gold faux lizard. The other women’s shoes in the line are not to my taste so much, but luckily Bourgeois Boheme has a wider selection of veg ethically sourced shoes outside of their own collection. And I know this is a shoe blog, but damn, they have some really great bags. Curse my budget.

Even better though, this line includes some really fabu men’s shoes. My partner has an impossible time trying to find non-leather dress shoes at the local mall, let alone ones that are high quality instead of the usual fug cheapo department store brand with matte PVC and frayed contrast stitching. Quelle horreur.