Leather is pumped full of chemicals to prevent biodegrading as well, and is not really any greener than synthetic is seems.
THIS! look up the environmental impact of the leather industry. Honestly, I-path should just hurry up and get back in the game so they can do hemp shoes with rubber toe caps
or...
Vegan is a new trend in skateboarding? There were at least two vegan skate shoe companies 25 years ago.
zero-two needs to make a comeback!
Servant is probably the only contender in the game that is really going out of their way these days but I will give eS and etnies some props too (etnies more so as they used recycled materials etc.). Emerica still throws us some bones but these days we're lucky if it's one shoe per season.
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edit #62: (cuz I just had to give my 2 cents right?)
as for the topic at hand, it seems that being/eating healthy is trending in lots of different subcultures at the moment (as someone mentioned, vegan body building is pretty big right now), but I wouldn't be too quick to judge people like AO as he's still in the early stages and isn't really flying the animal rights flag too high right? I though he was just mostly plant-based ala Yaje?
There's tonnes of different ways you can approach the topic too and some might argue, at least for skaters, that one pair of suede shoes has less of an impact on the environment than two pairs of canvas shoes. There's also vegans who buy second hand leather goods too because it lasts a long time and is better than creating demand for new products. Faux leather jackets are a good example of this; those PVC joints only last a year or two at best before peeling while good leather jackets can last 20+ years.
I personally don't rock any real leather but try to buy more environmentally friendly alternatives when it comes to non-skate shoes, wallets, belts, watch straps etc.
Microfibre is a great alternative and ages well too! Got a pair of boots from this guy 6 years ago and they still go hard/ age just like leather:
https://www.bravegentleman.comRecently got a bag from
https://tokyobags.co and it gets a tonne of compliments