The Leather Shoe

A long standing battle I have had with myself surrounds many a girls favourite item; shoes. I have hundreds of them, mostly piled high in the bottom of the wardrobe and I admit many of them I don't wear. Those however that do adorn my feet on a regular occasion are leather. I love leather shoes. They mould to your feet to create that oh so comfortable fit no synthetic material can mimic and they just look good. So my question is, could I go without leather to keep that nagging sustainability girl part of me at bay?

If you search for eco-friendly shoes you get bombarded with  words such as 'canvas sneakers', 'latex soled flip flops' and 'vegan shoes' and are faced with shoes that look like this:

I'm sorry but however green my sustainability girl wants to be I just wouldn't be able to put my foot in a shoe like that and walk down Oxford street with my head held high.

But never fear, I have found the answer (or maybe a starting point). Beyond skin is an ethical fashion label who create hand made vegan and 'environmentally friendly' shoes. Not only this but they are shoes with style. And how do they feel on? Can they match that feeling of leather on foot? Well the honest truth is I haven't yet bought myself a pair from here. Shoes are a difficult purchase and most girls will agree that you just don't know if you want them until you have that cinderella moment and then you fall in love. I struggle with the concept of buying shoes online and so I am very dissapointed in myself for saying that until beautiful vegan shoes make it to the shops I am going to struggle to make that move.