I’ve seen Superga shoes around, but only in store displays.  I haven’t really seen them on too many feet around town.  I’m not sure if they just don’t stand out to me, since they look very similar to Keds, Jack Purcell or Vans Authentic.  Or, maybe the Italian brand (self described as the “People’s Shoes of Italy“) just hasn’t broken out state side.  I don’t see why they aren’t bigger, I could definitely see these as a staple in any person’s shoe collection.

Versatile, equally suitable for men or women, this Superga 2750 COTU classic is just that.  Like the Jack Purcell, it is a great casual canvas sneaker that can go with you anywhere.  Plus, they are offered in a bewildering assortment of colors.  You can mix and match with anything.  I count 18 colorways on Zappos, 24 (!) from the Superga site.

Oh right, I forgot to mention that all Superga canvas shoes are vegan, with synthetic glues and all.

Cop these at Zappos or Superga USA.

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Long overdue is a shout to our favorite European vegan shoe brand, Novacas.  New for spring 2013, these two styles are a pretty tight combo and are both great additions for the stylish vegan (or non-vegan, who wouldn’t want to cop these?).  The Owen, above, is a casual oxford but features a clean waxed canvas black upper paired with a brick red colored sole.  So versatile you could wear these all day and pair them with an entirely different outfit at night.  I really need to get me one of these.

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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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This is a first for Vegan Kicks – the shoe pictured above is part of a Kickstarter project called Project Piola (pronounced pee-yo-la).  So the shoe is actually not available for sale.  Unfortunately, this model, the Madre de Dios, is the only vegan one that they offer.  But even considering the leather used on the other shoes, there’s a lot to like in terms of environmental sustainability and fair trade policies.

Started after the founders worked for an NGO in Peru, they met some rubber tree farmers living in the rainforest.  They also observed the exploitation and destruction of this beautiful place.  So they decided to start a sustainable business using the natural resources.  They also incorporated organic cotton materials in these shoes.

Check out the video, visit their Kickstarter page.  Make a contribution if you want to support Project Piola.  If you donate $50, and they make their goal, you get a pair of Madre de Dios (available in 7 colors).  Of course, there are problems raised by their use of leather.  I’m not going to ignore that.  But compared to other leather reliant shoe companies out there, they have something much better going for them.

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This week we bring to you another great skateboard brand, one that we’ve yet to feature.   We just haven’t come across anything that is anything close to vegan.  Thanks to a tip from Tall Mike, we present the Lakai Indio.  This black canvas mid sports a synthetic leather heel patch and a vulcanized sole.  And we got confirmation from the company that the shoe is fully vegan.

Don’t forget!  There’s still time to enter our Emerica Tempster contest.  Email us now to win a free pair of vegan kicks designed by Ed Templeton.  We have received a lot of interest, but if you put your name in the hat, lets say your chances of winning are significantly higher than the Powerball.  For contest info, click here.

Lakai Indio available at Zappos.  More pics after the jump!

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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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The Nike Free series fields a number of really nice, functional sneakers of the running variety.  The Nike Free Huarache Light happens to be one of my favorites at the moment.  Combining the Nike Free technology with the 90′s throwback Huarache upper, both styles are distinct but combine effortlessly.  The Light features a mesh upper with synthetic overlays, and a distinct plastic ringed lacing system.

Available in the three pictured colors (neutral grey, black, and light black team orange) at Premier.

Pictured above is the Maddox by Novacas.  They finally got in the sneaker game (what took so long?).  Not a bad initial offering, though I would have tried to target a lower price point – MSRP $194.95?!!!.  That’s bold. I can’t find any information on the materials.  The faux leather does look pretty nice, and I can attest to the high quality of Novacas shoes generally.  But it’s kinda hard to justify the price tag on a pair of sneakers like this.  You can get away with wearing these out, but why not just buy a nice pair of saddle shoes from Brave Gentleman or desert boots from Good Guys?

Novacas Maddox available in black or grey at Moo Shoes (on sale now for $129.99).

Bogs – Classic Ultra Mid 2 (Black) (also available in Classic Ultra High available at Zappos

Today’s vegan boots will not win any awards for style.  I can picture some of you are either shaking your heads or making a sour face right now.  Stooop.  If you’ve been here before, you know how we do.  We put out the good and sometimes the ugly (never bad).  Vegan shoes come in all shapes and forms, and we have to embrace the diversity!  How slick do you need a black rubber boot to be anyway?  When you are trudging through the snow, or you work outdoors in winter weather, how much of this does it all matter?    If you really want to go for style over substance, I would check this list out.

I was downright psyched when I started reading about the feature rich Bogs Classic Ultra Mid 2 (for men).  It’s waterproof, with a 4 way booty construction with a natural rubber overlay.  It’s warm because it’s got 7 mm of neotech fiber.  And it’s comfy because it has a European last – narrower in the heel, wider in the toe.  Sure beats a plain old rubber rain boot like this one.

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