Have your children recently grown out of their shoes? Try this new vegan shoe brand that’s good for their feet and the environment.
Recently, a brand new vegan shoe company launched in the US, and they’re making shoes exclusively for kids! Ten Little’s ethos is to make high-quality, well-fitting shoes, and to ensure that they’re sustainable at the same time.
What are vegan shoes made from?
These vegan shoes are designed with sustainability in mind. The shoes have been approved vegan by PETA, so you can be sure that the shoes are cruelty-free, made without animal products or by-products.
For the shoe uppers, PVC- and phthalate-free PU vegan leather was used. The outsoles are made with a natural rubber, which has been made from the milk of the Hevea tree. The insoles make use of recycled rubber, and the linings of every single shoe are 100% cotton.
Read more on alternative leathers in What is Vegan Leather Made of?
In-keeping with a truly vegan ethos, Ten Little are paired with Soles4Souls, a company that helps to provide shoes to people in need. When your child outgrows a pair of Ten Little’s shoes, you can order the next size up on their website. They will include a prepaid shipping label that you can use to donate the outgrown shoes.
Why vegan shoes for kids?
Ten Little’s two founders, Fatma and Julie, were mother-to-be’s when they met. After having their children, they realized that one of the hardest things about buying clothes for your child was buying shoes!
They discovered that not only are most kids’ shoes simply smaller versions of adult shoes, but that this practice can be very damaging for the development of children’s feet. By age 6, up to 60% of kids have lost some anatomical and functional health in their feet due to bad shoes.
Because of that, they launched a new shoe brand that’s everything they’d hoped others would be: sustainable, affordable, and (most importantly) good for children’s feet.
Our vegan thoughts
These shoes are certainly a step in the right direction (if you’ll pardon the pun). For many years, leather has been the go-to material for shoes for kids. Soft leather is used in baby shoes and first walkers because its durable and waterproof. But, leather isn’t vegan. And vegan brands, like Ten Little, are on the cutting edge of vegan products for the whole family.
With the genesis of brands that put vegan beliefs at the forefront of their business model, we’re sure to see more cruelty-free products flood the market, which can only be a good thing.