Ethical fashion: Will’s Vegan Shoes – review

Women’s Chelsea Boot V2 – Chestnut, £88

Shoes. I hate buying them.

I think it’s because they’re so necessary, it’s like booking a service or MOT on your car – you have to do it but it’s expensive and it’s not something you want. Unless you’re shoe obsessed, which I am not.

When it came to shoes I had one goal: they had to be ethically made and not contain any animal derived materials, such as leather.

A quick google brought up The Third Estate, a UK based brand dealing in ethically made clothing, shoes, and accessories. I knew I wanted boots with tread for winter that would last, and I didn’t mind paying a bit extra if meant I didn’t have to buy any again for a while. 

I was immediately impressed by the website: it was clearly laid out, had a good variety of choices (I didn’t think there’d be that much choice!), and provided me with a product description that let me know:

• What the shoes were made of (bio oil sourced from organic cereal crops in a carbon neutral process, insoles made from recycled rubber)
• Shoe spec etc., such as them having good tread & being water proof…
• Ethical info (made in Portugal under EU health and safety regulations, and Vegan Society Registered)
• The brand: in this case Will’s Vegan Shoes.

Will’s Vegan Shoes are a shoes, accessories, and bag shop, taking items we normally see made from leather and making them Vegan, as well as more ethically produced. Next time I need a bag or anything, I’m definitely going to head there (just another thing I loath having to buy).

My friend and I had to have a little ‘boot photoshoot’, which didn’t look strange at all.

The service was great, they came quickly and safely. The box contained a little info sheet on taking care of the boots and the packaging was minimum fuss. The shoes themselves were beautiful, not a mark on them. It took me about a week to wear them in properly, but now they’re very comfy and are water proof as promised. When I walk I sometimes hit the inside of my foot with my other foot (normally leading to scuffs and broken material), but the material seems to be really good quality and hasn’t marked. Apart from being a little bit muddy, they’re as good as new (except comfier).

They’re just boots but it’s nice to know I’m reducing my footprint one step at a time (ba-dum-tush).

Meg x