Vegan Shops

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, November 2, 2004: Erica Kubersky and her sister, Sarah, have turned their distaste for meat and all goods derived from animals, into a vigorous business selling vegan products–that is, imitation leather shoes, bags and motorcycle jackets–at MooShoes, their boutique in Lower Manhattan. MooShoes is one in an expanding roster of shops catering to people who, from motives of conscience or style, have banned animal products from their diets and, often, their wardrobes as well. Dozens of merchants now offer wares that are labeled cruelty free. Pangea in Rockville, Md,. sells vegan shoes, bags, wallets and guitar straps; the Web site Vegan Essentials (here) offers hemp shoes and clothes. Vans now includes vegan sneakers in its footwear line. And Stella McCartney, long an activist for animal rights, has added shoes stamped “suitable for vegetarians” to her collection.



Vegan products are finding takers not only among the roughly six million Americans who call themselves vegetarians, but also among shoppers attracted to prices that are often 60 percent to 75 percent lower than leather. A spike in demand prompted Earth Shoes to introduce some 15 vegan styles this year. “We are marketing to people who, whether or not they are vegans themselves would be happy to have stylish vegan products,” said Vern Aisner, the company’s director of marketing. “A lot of people still assume we are granola hippies or that we are overly political” said Jeremy Crown, an owner of Otsu, a San Francisco store selling vegan accessories. But there are no tie-dye products and no harsh slogans on T-shirts. “Hopefully we will change people’s minds about what a vegan looks like,” he said.