Ransom, a shop in Ontario Canada, has been working with Adidas to come up with some interesting kicks, including some rugged boots, chukkas and the like.  Here they’ve done up the classic Valley Low in light blue ripstop nylon, white sole, and yellow highlight on the sole.  These animal friendly joints also feature a Ransom logo near the heel and a cool LEATHER pull tab in the back.  Available at Hanon (England).

This post also coincides with a nice email I got a few days back from Adidas.  After inquiring into their vegan shoe policy, they confirmed that they do not use animal based products in their glues and cements.  They do use petroleum based products, and we here at Vegan Kicks would have liked to see them use more environmentally sound water based glues, but hey, one step at a time right?  So fear not intrepid vegan shoppers, Adidas is one brand you can buy without feeling guilty.  I will be posting more Adidas accordingly.

Hey everyone, looks like Vans has released some of its “chambray” pack for the masses. The Era model is available in blue/light blue & black/grey at Bows and Arrows (in Berkeley) and Zappos.  I think that part of the construction, on the heel and the toe cap, is chambray, while the midfoot is canvas.

These are some smart, vegan Oxfords from Rachel Comey.  They’re made out of some kind of fabric, and my guess is that it’s either canvas or some other type of softer cotton.  Either way they are animal free and the colors stand out.  They come in beige with green sole, or baby blue with white sole.  Available here and here.  Looks like the blue is sold out right now, and there aren’t too many sizes of the white left, but I’ll be sure to let you know if we find anything.  Thanks for reading!

Spring is here on the east coast, which means in places like Williamsburg Brooklyn, you will be seeing a lot of moccasins.  Well vegans, if you’re feeling a little left out, fear not.  You can get a pair of vegan canvas Moccasins at Urban Outfitters.  I’d like to see more colors, especially brown, but you can never go wrong with grey and black.  Simple, no frills.  I like it.

I had to share this. Ruben Studdard of American Idol fame went vegetarian, then vegan, and ended up losing over 80lbs (with the help of a trainer of course)! He was interviewed by Peta, and here was one of the quotes:

Peta: What are some of your favorite foods?

Ruben: My favorite dish is from PF Chang’s: the Buddha’s Feast. It’s hands-down my favorite dish. And the tofu lettuce wraps. My favorite brand now is Morningstar. Anything Morningstar, I love it—except for the sausage links. The patties ain’t bad though. But yesterday I had the fake buffalo wings. Every week, it gets more surprising, the amount of options you have as a vegetarian, because you never before would have been looking for those different options to satisfy your hunger, so to speak, so it’s really refreshing. Especially with all my travels, it’s really a lot easier than I thought to find healthier options. I still like to make greens and sweet potatoes and potato salad, just things like … you know, ’cause I’m from the South, and you know, my mom kind of taught me how to cook, still … I honestly still crave that meat flavor—so she taught me how to use the veggie bouillon cubes and stuff with my food. McDonald’s has a veggie burger now. It’s not as good as Burger King’s. Burger King’s veggie burger is off the chain.

That last sentence KILLED me.  I never heard anyone say BK’s veggie burger is off the chain, or something equivalent.  Hey, that’s a good thing if people can get vegan food from fast food joints.  I didn’t even know Mickey D’s had a veggie burger.  I might need to try that out!

Click here for the full interview with Peta.  Click here for an interview with Wendy Williams.

Book plug alert!  So I got word from Kind Green Planet about The World Peace Diet, a book they were really excited about.  It was Amazon’s best selling book on Sunday and they were are trying to promote it to keep it up there at #1.  As you all know Amazon is the 800lb gorilla in the book selling world and if it’s on the top of the list, not only does it mean that people really like the book, but more people who don’t know about it will be checking it out.  Anyway, here’s some info about it.

Here is an excerpt from an interview with the author:

“Our meals of hidden violence are devastating our earth, torturing millions of beautiful and sensitive animals daily, and laying waste the inner landscape of our thoughts and feelings. The wars, diseases, neuroses, and crimes we see around and within us have their genesis in the wars, diseases, neuroses and violent crimes we inflict on billions of animals routinely and completely unnecessarily. The basic sense of disempowerment people feel to change “the system” stems from their daily meals, which are the rituals that keep us as domineering commodifiers, enslaved ourselves!  . . . We will continue to be merely ironic in our quests for peace and justice and wisdom until we make the connections that are on our plates and authentically come into alignment with our true nature of compassion and share this uplifting and liberating understanding with others.”

Deep stuff.  Because it’s a book with such a strong message, the fact that it’s a #1 bestseller means it could become diffused into the mainstream media. See details here on Amazon. Or see Tuttle’s website for more info.

These Nike SB Dunk Lows are named after Larry Perkins, a fictitious, “most under-rated skateboarder of all time” who used to make prank phone calls on behalf of Big Brother Magazine (my favorite back in the day!).  They feature black and grey/brown denim upper, and it’s reported that the swoosh is made of patent leather.  But upon closer inspection, we here at Vegan Kicks think it’s reasonable to assume that they’re actually vinyl or some other synthetic.  Depending on how hardcore you are, you might be willing to take a chance.  Other interesting stuff: a “furry” inner lining, and a tongue that gives a telephone ring when you squeeze it.

They will be released on March 20.  Check Premier for updates, they seem to be in the know.  Also, don’t forget they are quickstrikes so if you really want them you better get em fast!

These aren’t new, and they aren’t readily available.  But when I got a glimpse of these I had to do something!  Here LA sneaker shop Undefeated collaborated with Converse to come out with this ultra-clean (and non-leather) high Poorman Weapon with an upper made of a nylon inspired by military bomber jackets.  Also has little features like a detachable velcro undefeated logo.  Nice!!!  They were available in navy, black, and olive, but I’m pretty sure you can only get these on ebay now, for a not-so-nice price of about $250!

Well, for four days anyway, haha.  It’s always exciting news when a pro athlete goes vegan.  It not only promotes a great alternative diet that is healthy, but also defies the stereotype of the “malnourished vegan” by contrasting it with this image of a 6’10″ 250 lbs NBA player.  Here’s what the Phoenix Suns star had to say about it -

“With my four days off, I’m really taking time off to purify my body, and get my body in top shape for these last 16-17 games. So right now, I’m on a vegan fast.”

Even though he says it’s just a temporary thing, let’s hope that it works out so well for him he decides to go vegan, or vegetarian, for good!  It seems like famous people all over are going vegan/veg and look and feel great.  See Ruben Studdard and the trainer from the Biggest Loser.

For original post on Stoudemire, see Ecorazzi.

Toms Shoes has several different new vegan models for this spring.  These cruelty free joints feature sailing patterns, and come with appropriate names such as the Seaport and Tangier.  I’m not a biggest fan of these vegan models, and I much prefer the non-vegan styles.  Some of them actually feature laces!  Or lace holes at least… anyway, these are basically the signature style of Toms Shoes – simple, no frills, loose and comfortable slip-ons.  Perfect to wear whether you’re at your house chillin or playing bongos in the park.  Still, I have to mention that the uppers are made out of hemp and recycled plastic bottles, how eco is that?  Also, to my surprise, the insole is actually EVA padded, and has latex arch support.  This is more than I can say for a lot of shoes featured on this blog (ahem, Vans).  For a person with flat feet like me, that’s a huge plus.  Anyway, check out the new styles.

Oh, and of course I had to mention their One for One policy.  You are basically buying another pair of shoes for a kid with a purchase (which, for some, would justify the price).  And look at the results – look at how happy those people are below!

Happy good looking people wearing Toms Shoes

Of course, there are several other vegan Toms Shoes that aren’t new for this season – these are my favorite of the bunch.

Toms Heather Blue Herringbone

Toms Habitante