Are you curious about what exactly vegan shoes are and where to buy them? Read on for the full scoop.

One of the fastest growing, and hottest, fashion trends is vegan footwear. Whether you are looking for casual shoes, even flip flops, high-performance shoes like sneakers or hiking boots, work boots or dress shoes, you now have stylish and durable vegan options to choose from.

In fact, shoes dominate the vegan fashion industry, accounting for 73% of all vegan fashion purchases. It’s projected to reach $85 billion by 2025, and it’s growing faster than any other niche.

What exactly are “vegan” shoes? There is the obvious answer: no animal products were used in the manufacturing of the shoe. It also means there was no animal testing.

The most blatant product banned from vegan shoes would be leather, but the definition also includes wool, silk and many glues which can contain casein, gelatin or other animal derivatives.

Traditionally, glue was made from the collagen of animals such as horses, pigs and cows. Luckily, synthetic glues have evolved and now cost less, yet have higher quality and consistency than animal-based glues. Most shoe manufacturers today use synthetic glue.

Not all companies explicitly state that their glues don’t contain animal by-products; however, the likelihood is they don’t. All PETA certified companies are completely vegan, as well as some companies that explicitly guarantee their shoes as vegan.

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They have a dual-density PU footbed with a gel insert and microfiber cover, molded EVA midsole and non-marking rubber soles that make walking feel like a barefoot stroll on the beach.

Their mesh shoes and some flip-flops are vegan (including the Dri-Lex lining designed for active and casual lifestyles). A great deal of scientific planning goes into the construction of these seemingly simple shoes. They also offer sneakers.