Being a vegan that skateboards i often find myself in a subgroup of a subgroup. Although i find it much easier to be a skateboarder now than when i first started skating and the same is true of being a vegan today versus when i first started, the most difficult part of where those two worlds meet (not meat) is footwear. For the last few years i have done entries on my personal blog outlining my annual quest for vegan skate shoes. This year i find myself in a wonderfully unique situation, now that i have followed my dream of opening a skateshop. We've only been open for a couple of months but we have an ever expanding shoe wall and i have made sure that we not only carry vegan options in our selection but that those options are clearly marked on the wall. Currently we have vegan options in both our C1rca and Fallen lines. Oh how nice it is to just go into the back room and grab a few to try on rather than ordering over the internet and keeping my fingers crossed that they'll feel right on my feet. i really dig this job.
The C1rca Lopez 50 in the Black/Pompeian Red colorway have textile uppers, the Fallen Easy in Bone/Obsidian & Fallen Vice in Black/Black are both canvas uppers, and the Fallen Patriot II in the Black Ops colorway have vegan synthetic uppers.
i really like the feel and comfort of a canvas shoe with a vulc sole but i'm not in my teens and twenties anymore. My feet can't take the beatings they once did so i find myself gravitating towards a bit more protection currently. Right now i'm kicking the Fallen Patriot II Black Ops and loving them. With a cupsole, super durable synthetic leather, and lightly padded tongue (with elastics holding it in place) my vegan feet feel as cared for as a baby wombat in it's mum's pouch... oh those lucky marsupials. canvas uppers, and the Fallen Patriot II in the Black Ops colorway are vegan synthetic uppers.
As we carry more lines i'll make sure to check in with the vegan options, until then this is our vegan corner of the shoe wall... skate without the die.