Are your trainers vegan? The brands making cruelty-free sneakers for your daily stroll

If you’ve made the decision to avoid meat and animal products in your diet, you may well be looking for vegan alternatives in other aspects of your life.

Yet while finding a vegan face wash and moisturiser is easy, finding vegan footwear can be a little trickier. And particularly when it comes to trainers, which are typically constructed from several different materials held together with lots of glue.

So what is it that normally makes shoes non-vegan?

The most common non-vegan material used to make shoes is leather. However, even if you opt for a pair of trainers made from faux leather or a synthetic material, often they are constructed using other animal-derived materials, such as glue made from animal bones and dyes derived from animal compounds.

But, there is another way.

Times are a’changing and several major brands have added vegan footwear to their ranges. First, as ever, came Stella McCartney, who has pioneered vegan faux leathers across her accessories ranges. For a vegan take on the chunky sneaker trend you can’t go far wrong with a pair of her Eclypse raised-sole trainers (I personally like the glitter versions- £455, shop them here), or for the sneaker purists, she partnered with Adidas to remake their classic Stan Smith style in vegan leather in 2018 (these rainbow styles, £284, feel particularly of the moment. Shop them here).

And did you know that major brands like Vans and Converse have many styles that are entirely vegan? Converse’s Chuck Taylor All Stars are, for example, constructed using canvas and synthetic (thus vegan) glue, while most of the shoe styles in the Vans Classic Collection are available in styles & colourways that are vegan-friendly.

However, should you wish to jog a little off the beaten track, there are several new super cool boutique brands making amazing vegan trainers. Here are 5 of the best to know…