Hey folks! So, the hardest part about being vegan is definitely finding vegan shoes. And when I say finding vegan shoes, I mean finding vegan shoes that are both comfortable AND cute. As Forrest Gump once said, “My mama always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where they going, where they been”. SO CHOOSE WISELY BRO. 

Well, the sis and I were lucky enough to come across this stylish London based footwear brand called Bourgeois Boheme (idk what it means, but it sounds fancy as fukkkk) that makes vegan shoes for women and men. They are all super trendy and awesome and I highly recommend checking out their website.

Even Pretty Little Liars/Vampire Diaries celeb Torrey Devitto wears their shoes!

We were also lucky enough to interview the founder of the company, Alicia Lai. Not only is she a boss for creating an all vegan shoe company, but she was also generous enough to answer all of our questions!

1. How did you get involved with the vegan lifestyle?

I was veggie for more than 10 years and became vegan in 2005 due to the realities of the cruelty of the dairy and egg industries. There is absolutely no need to exploit animals for human use and I together with my family, my two girls being vegan from birth, live a happy, fulfilled and healthy plant based lifestyle.

2. Why did you decide to create an all-vegan shoe company?

Bourgeois Boheme was created back in 2005 by myself Alicia Lai, a qualified podiatrist [bloggers note: a podiatrist is a “foot doctor”] whom couldn’t find any quality, modern vegan accessories and footwear on the market at that time. We began as an online marketplace for vegan accessories (e.g purses, belts) and footwear and as we saw a gap in the market for good quality vegan footwear, we started to create our own collections. After a 2-year break, we re-launched Bourgeois Boheme in 2014 as an exclusive vegan footwear brand.   It is just amazing to run a business based on my ethics as a vegan- that no animals should be harmed for anything, even fashion.

3. How do you think your background as a podiatrist influences the way you create shoes?

At BB we have always aimed to have good quality and comfortable shoes. With my background as a Podiatrist I have a good understanding of the biomechanics of feet and the many variations of them out there which is challenging.   Footwear construction is complex and we do our best to produce good quality and comfortable footwear. 

4. Since your shoe brand is vegan, what ulterior (alternative?) materials do you use in place of leather?

Our shoes are lovingly crafted without any animal-derived materials such as fur, leather, wool, silk and animal-based glues. There’s absolutely no PVC either. Instead, we choose high-quality, Italian-made cotton-backed microfibre PU (polyurethane), textiles and natural materials.  Our shoes have also been dressed in organic cotton, hemp and cotton weaved with paper.   We continue to increase the use of more sustainable and innovative materials with our future collections including cork, Pintaex (pineapple fabric), linen and recycled soles.

From AW16 our collections will be lined with Bio-Polyoils based on natural and renewable resources derived from NOFOOD cereal crops. These plant based polymers, grains and seeds have exquisite properties and are superior to leather. They are absorbable, breathable and biodegradable.

These materials are sophisticated, sustainable and innovative, long-lasting, super-comfortable and animal-free.

5. What are some of your other favourite vegan fashion lines?

All of them!  Any brand that makes a stand for a more compassionate and peaceful world gets my seal of approval. I am happy to say there are more and more new brands too!

6. What message are you trying to portray through your vegan shoe line?

We wish to show that there are better alternatives to footwear that is available on the market. A more considered product in the sense of cruelty-free fabrics, sustainability, transparency and ethics which are high quality and great design too.

Our collections are artisan-made under ethical conditions in Portugal from the finest eco-friendly Italian vegan leathers. We believe that a good vegan shoe should be about more than just excluding animal materials – a design that stands the test of time is essential – and therefore we work tirelessly to champion slow fashion through updated British shoe classics that challenge the perception of leather-free footwear.

You can view more information on these points here.

7. Are you planning on expanding your fashion line beyond just shoes?

In the past we did have a range of accessories too which were popular and we have repeated requests for their return too.   Never say never, so stayed tuned.

8. Are people more receptive of an all-vegan company in America or in London?

There is an increasing awareness of veganism as a whole and around the world too so we would say overall it is all very positive.

9. What do you see as the future of vegan fashion and what do you hope for? 

The future is bright! There is an increasing interest in more sustainable and ethical products across all industry sectors which is great to see.   Fashion is one of the most polluting sectors and being an ethical vegan company producing a more sustainable and ethical product is our way to make a conscious and positive difference to this issue.

There still exists many misconceptions of vegan products and materials and we are excited and enthusiastic to dispel these misconceptions through being informative and producing great product.

We have seen vegan and sustainable fashion becoming more and more mainstream with Stella McCartney being a great example as well as Matt & Natt which has become very popular amongst vegan celebrities. We’ve seen a positive growth this past year as people are focusing on products and fashion that are healthy for the body and less harmful for the environment and animals. Celebrities such as Torrey DeVitto, Bryan Adams and Natalie Portman wear our shoes which is a great honour for us as a vegan independent business.

Thanks Alicia and thanks to the Bourgeois Boheme team!