Vegan skate shoes

[Roisto]

Aren’t synthetic shoes taxed more heavily in the US than suede/leather or canvas? I remember reading this in some old Jenkem(?) article with DC perhaps. The materials themselves or the construction aren’t more expensive than with leather but the import tax makes it so that synth shoes generally have to be sold for $10 more to get the same profit. Something like that. When did this tax come about though, I don’t know. If it was in the early 00s, then it might offer a partial explanation as to why skate shoes moved away from synth materials. If the import tax has been around longer, there must be some other explanation for this.

[pedro_mayn]

Question for the older heads, if this hasn't already been addressed before.

I was taking a look through some old CCS catalogs that another Pal generously scanned and the shoe selections had me wondering. The widespread prevalence of synth models, particularly with synthetic uppers, or "all synthetic materials", in the  early 2000s was a little surprising to see. Besides maybe DC, DVS, and Lakai, most brands had an extensive array of synth offerings. I was curious as to why it seems the industry shifted away so drastically from synthetic materials. Were they that inferior to animal leather and suede? Did the use of synths hinder profit margins? And what do you think it would take for the footwear market to get back to that point; or are we so far into the adoption of animal-based construction that vegan shoes will forever be a market niche?

It's funny you mention this, as I've been doing the same thing checking the old catalogs and wondered this...

It definitely seemed like a lot of prominent models were synth as well, more than I remembered. I wish this could be the case now. Luckily éS seem to provide a few here and there, which suit me fine.

[sweet son of a bitch]

Aren’t synthetic shoes taxed more heavily in the US than suede/leather or canvas? I remember reading this in some old Jenkem(?) article with DC perhaps. The materials themselves or the construction aren’t more expensive than with leather but the import tax makes it so that synth shoes generally have to be sold for $10 more to get the same profit. Something like that. When did this tax come about though, I don’t know. If it was in the early 00s, then it might offer a partial explanation as to why skate shoes moved away from synth materials. If the import tax has been around longer, there must be some other explanation for this.

The local skate shop informed me this once when I was looking at some vans . Even though they were labeled suede he said they were synthetic & even confirmed with the rep . #vegantax

[kneebone]

Aren’t synthetic shoes taxed more heavily in the US than suede/leather or canvas? I remember reading this in some old Jenkem(?) article with DC perhaps. The materials themselves or the construction aren’t more expensive than with leather but the import tax makes it so that synth shoes generally have to be sold for $10 more to get the same profit. Something like that. When did this tax come about though, I don’t know. If it was in the early 00s, then it might offer a partial explanation as to why skate shoes moved away from synth materials. If the import tax has been around longer, there must be some other explanation for this.

Yes, there is a higher import tax on shoes that are not made from "natural materials" and somehow dyed leather falls under the natural materials umbrella.  I think it was a combination of this tax plus the onset of the minimal/vulc trend that led to the move away from more synthetic shoes.  Both occurred around the same time iirc.

[Shrinedescender]

Appreciate the responses. I didn't really consider the shift to low tech/vulc being a factor. Also the import taxes and seeming demand for cheaper, simpler shoes explains a lot. Shoe manufacturers probably saw it more lucrative to do more releases, with cheaper materials, than keep a few expensively made models in constant production. Chalk it up to ignorance or just being a youngin' but it seems to me that brands release and shelf models and colorways at a more rapid rate than ever. Nike proving the profitability of limited releases with the Dunks seems like an extension of that.

Plus, the dynamic of having only a few leading brands in a booming industry in the 2000s meant they were probably more able to spend the money on taxes and synthetic materials. Seems like there's much more competition nowadays, and regardless of how large skateboarding is, those companies operate on tighter margins to maximize profit and keep churning out new shoes.

And the fact that dyed leather is considered a natural material and isn't taxed as heavily seems off.

[Morning Jazz Radio]

Last Resort AB - new shoes VM003. Mid Feb release for the US. Definitely stoked Pontus and his crew are making vegan shoes.

https://www.lastresortab.com/collections/vegan

[vegangangzta]

If you’re on Instagram, make sure to follow me at -

@vegan.skateshoes

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

If you’re on Instagram, make sure to follow me at -

@vegan.skateshoes

I follow you mate!
In other news it looks like blondie’s new adidas kick will be vegan and this time it isn’t made our of see through plastic which is always a bonus. While he does absolutely nothing for me, I’m glad he goes out of his way to always talk about veganism when introducing his shoes; we certainly live in a crazy world in 2022 where Blondie is the only current pro talking about Veganism and footwear and Ryan Lay is getting flowed suede vans …

[kneebone]

I noticed that KA has been wearing some dark green midtops the past few weeks, and today he tagged Clearweather in his stories with what appears to be a black canvas & rubber version.  They posted this 11 weeks ago as "coming soon" so i imagine they're facing the same supply & logistics issues as everyone else.  I'll definitely try these out if they do turn out to be a vegan-friendly option.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

I'll definitely try these out if they do turn out to be a vegan-friendly option.

and NOT a KA model right?

[Roisto]

I noticed that KA has been wearing some dark green midtops the past few weeks, and today he tagged Clearweather in his stories with what appears to be a black canvas & rubber version.  They posted this 11 weeks ago as "coming soon" so i imagine they're facing the same supply & logistics issues as everyone else.  I'll definitely try these out if they do turn out to be a vegan-friendly option.

Their comment on that post doesn’t sound very vegan friendly but let’s hope that’s just a not very well thought out reply.

[kneebone]

The blacked out synthetic suede Temples are now available on the Emerica site.  Not really a fan of this particular model, but it's great to finally see a non-canvas option.
https://emerica.com/collections/footwear/products/temple-black-black-black

[SquintinTarantino]

The blacked out synthetic suede Temples are now available on the Emerica site.  Not really a fan of this particular model, but it's great to finally see a non-canvas option.
https://emerica.com/collections/footwear/products/temple-black-black-black

I like those. Kind of remind me of the old Reynolds model.  Definitely nice to see a non-camo vegan option from Emerica too

[Shrinedescender]

The blacked out synthetic suede Temples are now available on the Emerica site.  Not really a fan of this particular model, but it's great to finally see a non-canvas option.
https://emerica.com/collections/footwear/products/temple-black-black-black

Ollie guard too? Instant cop

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Don't think I can do vulcs anymore but it looks like we are seeing the light at the end of the canvas slip-on tunnel!

***
I bought those made in USA NB dad shoes, make sure you half size up!

[OrangeVHStapes]

Not sure if this has been talked about but it seems like Vans is trying to do something… Better than typing in vegan in the search bar and only seeing like 2 belts and a dumb jacket…


https://www.vans.com/vegan.html

[pedro_mayn]

Nothing of a proper review, but something I've noticed so far...

I bought the canvas Eos model, as they were on sale a month back on the Euro site. I didn't want to pass it up as they were £36 or something.

I'd say one thing for certain is that if you've been skating the thicker cupsoles in the range (Quattro or Silo like me), then you'll definitely notice how thin the insoles are in these shoes. I even think that was/is the complaint I saw about the Accel Slims when I saw reviews was about them, but I could be wrong. Either ways if you're skating their vulcs or thinner cupsoles you'll notice it more on the heel area as there's no padding inside the insole.

I had to swap them out as my heels were beginning to hurt after a few seshes. I put in the insoles from the 868s I had last year and now all seems well. The only thing with the shoes is that I did was glue them up a bit, as I've never had canvas shoes but I know for a fact I'd burn through them a lot since I skate a lot of flatground.

Other than that they're pretty decent, not sure if they'll do other vegan colours with the fake suede they're using at all. If they do I'd buy them again and just change the insoles, because they do look and skate great.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

@pedro_mayn its the same sole as the accel slims so yeah, pretty slim indeed. Hopefully the insole balances it out because it looks like a solid shoe. Btw, your prayers may have been answered because I’m pretty sure the black one featured here is vegan:

I always worry about clear soles for se reason though…

[kneebone]

@pedro_mayn its the same sole as the accel slims so yeah, pretty slim indeed. Hopefully the insole balances it out because it looks like a solid shoe. Btw, your prayers may have been answered because I’m pretty sure the black one featured here is vegan:

I always worry about clear soles for se reason though…

So strange, the toe piece looks like it's that matte synthetic suede, but the rest of the black parts are genuine suede (and confirmed in the description) https://esskateboarding.com/collections/footwear/products/eos-black-white-turquoise
Per eS' caption in that ig post:  No elephants were harmed (but a shitload of cows were)

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Someone is fucking up here because:

Looks like Freestyle shop uploaded some, if not all, of the next season's offerings from SoleTech. We'll see what's up when the catalogs get released. As of now, these are all the synths I could find:

[kneebone]

https://soletechnology-catalogues.cld.bz/eS-HO21-Catalog/28-29/  not listed as vegan in the catalog, so i'm gonna say it's Freestyle Shop that did the fucking up

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Damn that sucks, especially the whole “no elephants were harmed” part…

[ToshiroTownune]

Anyone know of some cupsole synth shoes with a similar toe box to the nb 420? I have a wide foot and have gotten used to skating these, but would be open to some other options if they are out there. 

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Anyone know of some cupsole synth shoes with a similar toe box to the nb 420? I have a wide foot and have gotten used to skating these, but would be open to some other options if they are out there. 

I wish I did… sadly there isn’t much else out there. 420s are getting harder to find too!

[ToshiroTownune]

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Anyone know of some cupsole synth shoes with a similar toe box to the nb 420? I have a wide foot and have gotten used to skating these, but would be open to some other options if they are out there. 

[close]

I wish I did… sadly there isn’t much else out there. 420s are getting harder to find too!

Disappointing to hear, but I appreciate you spreading the word of the 420. Currently have five pairs on ice and should be good for quite awhile but can’t believe no other brands have stepped up.

[PuffinMuffin]

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Anyone know of some cupsole synth shoes with a similar toe box to the nb 420? I have a wide foot and have gotten used to skating these, but would be open to some other options if they are out there. 

[close]

I wish I did… sadly there isn’t much else out there. 420s are getting harder to find too!

[close]

Disappointing to hear, but I appreciate you spreading the word of the 420. Currently have five pairs on ice and should be good for quite awhile but can’t believe no other brands have stepped up.

The only other shoe I know is the Axion Majik which were 35 dollars on sale on the Zumiez's site, but they're out of stock. Plus, Axion... Probably just better to stick with the 420's. 

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Axion are so hard to find though, I actually really like the look of the majiks!

https://www.routeone.co.uk/products/axion-majik-premium-skate-shoes-cream-italian-001130573

[Sila]

Damn that sucks, especially the whole “no elephants were harmed” part…

Lol it's so tone deaf

[El Freegano]

I am not a chucks fan, but Manderson is a rad guy!

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Good on manderson and it also looks like they didn’t renew KA’s contract, but I’m probably never going to buy a pair of chucks at my age.
***
Really digging the Quattros that came out in the last eS drop (white with grey accents), can’t try them on locally but the consensus was to half size up yeah?