Faux suede boots @ MooShoes

Boots are a definite must-have for the cold weather. Either they stay at your ankles and hike up near your knees, but boots give you warmth and support. 

With leather and rubber as key ingredients in boots, there are eco-friendlier boots out there at some retailers like at MooShoes.com. 

Look for boots that can stand the elements and make a fashion statement.

Novacas Beige Canvas Haley Boot, $59.95, mooshoes.com.

Hearts of Darkness Brilliance Boot in Wine, $59.95, mooshoes.com.

Beyond Skin Hendrix Boot in Brown, $39.99, mooshoes.com.

Vegan cowgirl western-style boots

Western style boots seem to stick around every year, so it's not too hard to find eco-leather boots that flaunt the trend. 

But the more expensive cowgirl boots made from leather still have more intricate designs. Also, vintage cowgirl or cowboy boots (they're practically unisex) are also eco-friendly options.

Tan Faux Leather Western Buckle Mid-Calf Boots, $12.99, amiclubwear.com

Fringe Suedette Boots, $39.80, forever21.com

Modified Cowboy Boot, $35.50, charlotterusse.com

Western Fold Buckle Boot, $39.50, wetseal.com

Vegan wedge boots

A fantastic pair of vegan boots are hard to find sometimes with the man-made materials making the boot look wrinkly or plasticky. But this winter, there are more durable and more fashionable selections to choose from.

Bumper Edma Camel Wedge Boot, $39, lulus.com

With high heels slowly fading out for the moment, a vegan wedge boot can help with maneuvering yourself at a comfortable height. 

Madden Girl Zaney Cognac Boot, $69, alternativeoutfitters.com

Vegan boots lack animal by-products that appear in many shoes, but you can still enjoy the trend of a faux fur-trimmed faux suede boot.

Super Furry Wedge Winter Boots, $49.99, womensshoedepot.com

Eco-suede fall boots

Since suede boots can add substance to the more laid-back outfits in the fall, then eco-suede boots can give any outfit that eco-friendly edge.

Terra Plana Free Lyn Brown
Leather Suede Knee High
Boots (vegetable tanned suede),
$141.56, fashion-conscience.com

Eco-suede can be either faux suede or vegetable-tanned suede. Both versions are considered to be ecologically favorable compared to conventional, chemical-tanned suede. 

Lucky Gray Suede Belt
Around Over the Knee Boots
(faux suede), $49, lulus.com

Eco-suede boots are also easy to find at many stores specializing in fashionable fall boot wear. 

Eco-friendly rain boots

Capelli New York Cowboy Solid
in Purple (vegan), $38.90,
whatapair.com

Though umbrellas complete the outfit, rainy season is really for the rain boot. They could be made of rubber, leather, and other materials not exactly contributing to the environment in a positive way. This season, there's more of an eco-friendly selection of rain boots.

Vegan rain boots are easier to find since many companies don't use animal by-products such as leather or fur to make the boot. But on the other hand, some still do, so check the label for its contents. 

Chooka Rain Boot in Turquoise
(natural rubber),$59.99,
whatapair.com

Natural rubber is an eco-friendly material. It's extracted from plants and trees without destroying the source even though it's still affected. With synthetic rubber, chemicals create the substance, and it's more widely used. Now, rain boots using natural rubber have a larger availability than before. 

Infamously, the rain boot is popular for its crazy designs, favoring the younger crowd, but you can still wear a sturdy, fashionable rain boot for school and the workplace. 

Cougar Cutie Rain Boot (vegan),
$49.99, whatapair.com

Solid colors, a mixture of dark colors, or two-color designs are great choices.
If you feel safer without the splash of bright color, try the solid black, brown, or beige rain boot. 

Also, unique designs like the shorter ankle boot and the cowboy style above can make your rainy day shoes stand out even more.

Eco-must-have: vegan boots

When we peer at a pair of fabulous boots, we check the tag to see its ingredients, and leather, wool, and fur are some names we enjoy seeing. As a society, we are influenced to buy these top-notch materials, but usually their artificial counterparts are more eco-friendly. 
  

Blowfish Walsh Black Knee-highs, $79, lulus.com

Vegan boots will lack the following materials:

• Leather
• Wool 
• Fur
• Suede
• Other animal by-products

Vegan & eco-friendly boots will contain the following materials:

• Organic cotton
• Organic dyes
• Other organic fabrics
• Recycled rubber
• Faux leather
• Low-impact leather (uses enzymes to polish it rather than chemicals) 
• Faux fur
• Faux suede
• Natural fibers (i.e. hemp)

Leather is usually the main material that makes up our boots. What makes it a sometimes eco-zero material is companies use harsh chemicals for the tanning process.

Tanning is the process in which chemicals such as tannin are used to prevent leather returning to its rawhide form, making it more suitable for our needs. A few companies do use natural enzymes to tan leather, and this may be marked on a label as "low-impact leather."

To see if a company uses low-impact leather, check its website. Many companies have press releases on their sites about the ways they are becoming greener.

Using leather in shoes may be considered environmentally sound since the product is technically leftover waste from the meat industry. But if you're concerned about the animals within our ecosystem and can't commit to a vegan diet, then maybe vegan shoes are the way to go.