How to replace wool and leather in winter?

What are the vegan alternatives to wool and leather for Winter?

Winter is coming and brings with it the coldest days of the year. Cold and rainy days ask for warm and cosy shoes.  

The traditional footwear industry has always bet on wool, fur and animal leather to ensure the production of shoes that keep feet warm and dry throughout the day. No wonder that facing these three trumps of the traditional approach is one of the biggest challenges faced by sustainable fashion. How to produce and consume good winter shoes without harming the planet and animal life?

NAE shows it's possible.

 

Organic Cotton 

This week, we bring you a selection of shoes with inner lining of organic cotton and synthetic fur. Meet our two favorite materials for the inner lining of winter shoes.

The choice for organic cotton benefits everyone involved in the production chain. We often talk about the many advantages of choosing this material, neglected by fast fashion because of its higher monetary costs. While 90% of conventional cotton comes from genetically modified plants and requires the use of chemical and harmful pesticides, organic cotton requires pesticides made from natural ingredients, which nourish the soil and do not pollute water.

This respect for the cycles of soils enriches the whole ecosystem that surrounds the organic cotton plantation. Besides not being polluted, water is spared: 80% of the water used in the organic cotton plantations comes from the rains, unlike conventional cotton - which requires spending endless liters of water for that sole purpose. 

For the sake of example, let's think of the paradoxical case of India - the world's largest cotton producer. What's the point of spending tons of water for the plantations make when thousands of Indian farmers don't even have access to this essential good for their families' hygiene and feeding?

 

Organic cotton is one of our highlight options at NAE Vegan Shoes. This material is the big star of the lighter and fresher spring/summer boots, like Noah Organic Cotton.

But there's not a lot of talk regarding the use of organic cotton in the lining of winter boots. This shows the versatility of this vegan material: when used to line the inside of shoes, it creates excellent footwear alternatives for the colder seasons.

Charlie (unisex) and Dylan (woman) vegan boots are our bestsellers of the Off.home. collection Autumn/Winter 2020. Besides this particularity of the organic cotton lining, these two vegan boots are breathable and extremely water-resistant. 

They're made of ecological microfiber certified by OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 and produced minimizing the emission of CO2. By choosing the organic cotton lining, we protect the environment, avoid the waste of water and guarantee the safety of workers and producers.

 

The Maxi unisex model shares all these previous features, but in a bolder style thanks to the camel-colored rubber sole that matches the laces, also made of organic cotton.

 

Synthetic fur

Synthetic fur turns out to be one of the best-known options for brands that stand against animal cruelty. NAE Vegan Shoes is part of this set since our core value is to remove any form of animal exploitation from the footwear production process.

Archie vegan boots are a unisex model inspired in a military-style. The interior lined with synthetic fur not only provides comfort but also protection from cold.

We often talk about the wrong idea that animals' skin is a by-product of their flesh. Unfortunately, many uninformed consumers buy clothing and accessories made of leather, because they believe that the main reason that caused the death of those animals was the consumption of their meat. 

However, this mentality is highly fallacious. Frequently, animals are killed exclusively and purposefully by their skin. The argument for wearing leather to prevent waste from high meat demand, however, does not stand true for calfskin, lambskin, snakeskin, or crocodile skin - animals whose skin is much more valuable than their meat. The false or synthetic fur has gained notoriety thanks to activists and organizations in favour of animal life. The material is designed to have the appearance and warmth of the animal's leather.

The Pipa model varies from the previous models that we've been highlighting throughout this article. The interior of these flat vegan shoes for women are lined with synthetic fur, making them warm and ideal for winter. After all, wearing boots is not the only option for the coldest days of the year. 

 

Which would be your predilect choice: organic cotton or synthetic fur?

Have a lovely day!

 

NAE