Just wanted to give a big shout out to Maciej Kobus, the winner of our Emerica 2013 Tempster giveaway!  It took a while – the shoes were held up in customs for 3 weeks – but our fearless and persistent Polish winner was undeterred.  He finally got the shoes and whew, they fit!  This is what he had to say about them:

I can’t be happier with the new shoes since they are a pro model of well known skateboarder and my huge inspiration – Ed Templeton. I’m not the biggest fan of high/mid shoes but they seem to fit nicely. I didn’t have a chance to wear them for a longer time but they feel comfortable. Also huge thanks to Ed and the guys at Emerica for keeping it real and staying true for all these years.

We couldn’t have put it better, dude.  Thanks again for entering.  And thank you, Emerica, for keeping it real and participating and not hating on the vegan skaters out there.  We send much love out there, keep up the good work Ed Templeton and everyone over there at Emerica.

One more pic after the jump!

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We here at VK have been fans of Herschel Supply Co.’s bags since we first saw them.  We really dug the simple designs and how they reminded us of our bags when we were kids.  Unfortunately, the leather detailing would turn us away.  But the more I looked at pictures and in person, we noticed that the “leather” tabs and straps didn’t look real.  Lo and behold, after a random google search, it turns out that almost all of it is synthetic:

3. Are any of Herschel Supply’s products animal free/vegan friendly?
All of Herschel Supply’s products are animal free/vegan friendly with the exception of collaboration items, any Cotton Canvas products our Market tote and our Woodlands backpack.

Rejoice!  Herschel bags are vegan, with exceptions.  Pictured above and below are some of our favorites.  But there are so many options, you should check out their shop for all they have to offer.

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I know what you’re thinking – “socks?  I’m vegan, I came here to get a scoop on shoes.  I don’t have a problem finding animal free products to put on my feet before the shoes!”  If you are thinking that, well you’re right.  You can spot a pair of wool socks a mile away.  I don’t have a really great answer to that other than hey, I’m a sucker for the little things.  And yes, socks are overlooked accessories, but the right (or wrong) pair can really make a difference.

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This season’s newest vegan/animal-friendly offering from Emerica for spring of 2013 is finally here.

The new shoe is called “The Tempster,” and is designed by legendary vegan skateboarder, Ed Templeton. Ed has always been a driving force in skateboarding – a true individual and artist. He is also the vegan skater’s skater. Never quitting and never selling out his vegan beliefs for a higher-paying/selling leather pro-model shoe. For this alone, we should always support him, his shoes, and Emerica for putting them out. Emerica is in my own personal opinion, the last real core skate shoe brand we have left.

I got to skate these new shoes a few short times on the streets and for a full 3-hour session at the park. Here are my personal thoughts as a long-time skater and vegan shoe wearer. . . .

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Following up on our last post, the good people at Emerica are so gracious as to hook us up for Vegan Kicks’ second shoe contest!  Our blogging is erratic right now, but we’re trying to make every one count!  We are psyched to be giving away one pair of Emerica Tempster (green or black), featured above and below.  This is one out of a bunch of Emerica’s vegan shoes (see our previous post on their newest offerings), and we all thought it was appropriate that this be the one, considering Ed’s longstanding vegan lifestyle.  I know that these shoes won’t be for everyone, but I know all the skaters out there will be chomping at the bits to get a pair.  So, onto the contest!

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We’re back!  Sorry for the hiatus.  Wish we could bring you all the news, but what can we say, we’ve been slacking.  Keep checking back for updates and goodies.  You won’t be disappointed.  And if you can, please help!  If you see something interesting, or have something fresh to report, please post on our Facebook wall or Tweet at us.

Today we are happy to bring to you another string of vegan shoes brought to you buy our friends at Emerica as part of their new spring collection 2013.  Kudos to them as they are one of the few skateboard shoe companies actively touting their vegan credentials.

As you can see above and below, these are some old standbys.  The Hsu is back in canvas, though I’m not crazy about this olive/black colorway (how about the plain black?).  Ed Templeton is back with the Tempster in black/grey and green.  Controversial pick with the lime green, but I’m sure some of you will appreciate it.  Too bad there is no printed graphic outside on the black model, but you are treated to some artwork from Ed on inside panels.

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Hey everyone!  Sorry for being radio silent for so long.  In case some of you didn’t think it was real, the above photograph was submitted by our 2012 Keep Contest winner Jon Clark of Ontario, Canada.  Jon got himself a pair of Elias in black Moleskin (and is modeling it quite nicely might I add!).  The dark high top with synthetic suede is suitable even for harsh winters.

Also, let’s give a big up to Jon for rocking his first pair of fully vegan kicks.  My man had a similar journey as a lot of us.  When confronted with the truth about our treatment of other animals, he had to make a change.  His transition to an animal free lifestyle is an ongoing process, but wasn’t too difficult for him as he had a lot of support around him.

Oh, and might I add, he took this photo while partaking in an Anti-Fur demonstration in his hood!  Good job man!

Thanks Jon and everyone who entered the contest.  We will be having more to be sure.  Be sure to contact us if you have any ideas or suggestions, especially if you are a vendor who wants to get some exposure!

Sorel 1964 Premium T Canvas Boot available at Zappos and Sorel.  Women’s available here at Sorel.

UPDATE 12/18/12: After several readers alerted me to this mistake, I confirmed with Sorel that the 1964 Premium T Canvas boot does contain leather at the tongue and heel.  I was misinformed by the first customer rep and I thought he was pretty clear on it.  But thank you everyone who is keeping a watchful eye on us and keeping us honest!

Winter is here!  Er, well, has been here, officially.  But the weather has been so mild, an effect of in an unseasonably warm and unpredictable season thus far in the New York City area.  Thanks to a notorious tropical storm, things we take for granted, like seasons, seem to be a thing of the past.  Thanks a lot, global warming.  Oh wait, this is our fault.  Ugh.  But because the weather has been so jumpy lately we need to be prepared for the worst, and you never know when it could get cold and snowy.

Enter Sorel.  This Canadian company has been keeping feet warm and dry since 1962.  Initially I wanted to feature exclusively the Sorel 1964 Premium T Canvas Boot, pictured above.  But unfortunately it is NOT 100% VEGAN.  It is, however, almost.  I got on the phone with a very helpful customer service rep to check on this, and he confirmed that while the boot contains no leather, it does contain some sort of animal by-product in the glue.  Gah.  So, for those of you out there who do not draw that hard line, you might want to consider this as an option.

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Vegan Kicks is super excited to announce its first contest/giveaway ever!  We are even more stoked to be partnering with Keep, one of our favorite vegan shoes companies to feature on this site.  We will be giving away ONE PAIR of Keep shoes of your choice.  Check out their entire line here.  The Contest begins NOW, and ends December 1, 2012.  Perfect timing for the holidays!

VK has been around for a little over three years now, which is crazy itself.  Over time, we have been gradually building the site and gaining steady readership.  We are not web designers or coders.  We’re just a few regular people who saw a need for more info on vegan shoes, and started blogging about it.  We have tried to give you good, solid content on a regular basis.  We are also trying to build a bit of a community, a place where people can come to look, discuss, and learn from each other.

Of course we’re not all the way there yet, but the support and enthusiasm we’ve seen from readers all over the world has been so awesome.  We can’t believe how many people outside of the States is interested in this stuff.  TO OUR INTERNATIONAL PEEPS: Please enter!  Keep will ship to you!  In any case, we  are in debt to our readers for supporting us, and we felt that giving away a pair of shoes is the least we could do.  Hopefully, there will be more to come!

HERE ARE THE CONTEST RULES:

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Ga Day!  Today we are featuring an exciting vegan, free trade, and environmentally friendly sneaker brand Etiko.  But before we get into that, I just want to note that things are returning to normal in New York in the aftermath of Sandy.  My Brooklyn neighborhood was spared entirely, as we had electricity, cable, internet, everything.  Others were not so fortunate.  Being from New Jersey, which was hit hardest, I know of people who are suffering immensely right now.  My heart and sympathy goes out to those who were affected, especially those at the shore.  My feeling is that things will never be the same, but I have faith that the people of this region will bounce back stronger than ever.

Onto more positive matters, today we are profiling Etiko Sneakers, which refers to the low tops and hi tops that bear a striking resemblance to the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star.  The difference in appearance is only obvious in the different logos on the inside of the hi-tops’ ankle.  However, the important differences are beyond what the eye can discern.  This Australian company is putting a lot of thought and conscience into their products.  When you buy a pair of Etiko kicks, you’re getting something that is 1) vegan, 2) free trade, and 3) environmentally friendly.  To wit:

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