No need for cruelty in your footwear! Just take a look at the choices...
Visit CowsAreCool.com for a free copy of PETA’s “Shopping Guide to Nonleather Products.” Go to PETACatalog.com, and pick up a “Fake, for the Animals’ Sake” patch—so you won’t be mistaken for a survivalist.
Every animal rights activist gets asked eventually: “Are your shoes made of leather?” If they are, it’s time to go with the faux! Skin-free shopping is a cinch these days—dozens of mainstream designers and brands, including Sam & Libby, Unlisted, Skechers and Birkenstock, offer fashionable alternatives to the “skin thing”—and it’s also the number one trend! According to a recent article in the L.A. Times magazine, today’s vegans—think Fiona Apple, Alicia Silverstone, Joaquin Phoenix and Moby—are “hip, young and stylish.” Best of all, you don’t have to earn a Hollywood salary to look like a million bucks—pleather saves money and animals’ lives.
So if you want today’s hottest looks—without incurring dirty looks from our bovine buddies—just remember these magic words: “All Manmade Materials.”
Here’s a sampling of our favorites.
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 Have a foot fetish?
After Moby asked Animal Times readers to show him their nonleather shoes, we were flooded with enough pictures of fancy footwear to make Imelda Marcos green with envy. Check out these fancy feet (for more great shoe shots, visit PETA.org).
 • Laura Durler and her best friend, Lindsay Saunders, show off their classic canvas Converse All Stars—adorned with a must-have accessory for the cruelty-free set.
 • Anne McGarry thinks Rocket Dog shoes are top dog. “Not only are they cruelty-free, they last for years and are incredibly comfortable and cheap.” What more could you want? How about an extra pair?
 • If you think leather-free footwear is only for the hemp brigade, think again! Debbie Pac’s chic shoes—made by J. Renee—are as elegant as they come.
 • And the winner is...
Jacqueline Mason of Miami, Florida. Her stylish Steve Madden boots prove that compassion is always in fashion. Jacqueline will receive a pair of NoBull Savage hiking books, made by Pangea (www.veganstore.com)-- congratulations!"
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Other Contest Entries:
Mrs. Wendy Lanham
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Sarah Rudy
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Olga Ford
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Camille Stringer
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Job Buenazedacruz
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Erin Pearson
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Erin Conley
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Carolyn Joy Neuman
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Leslie Fox
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Pleather vs. Leather
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Pleather: Always 100% dog-free—guaranteed.
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Leather: Comes from cows, horses, lambs, goats, pigs—even dogs and cats. In the Philippines and Korea, dog leather is routinely marked “cow skin” for export purposes. When you wear leather, you can never be sure whose skin you’re in.
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Pleather: Designer Ty Bowers calls pleather “the wild kingdom of synthetic fabrics. It can look like snakeskin, can be dyed any color and the fabric itself is just getting better and better.”
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Leather: To make real snakeskin bags, shoes, jackets and other “trendy” trinkets, animals are ripped from their jungle homes and cruelly killed. Snakes are nailed to a board and often skinned alive. Reptiles can suffer for hours or even days before they die.
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Pleather: As the L.A. Times says, pleather “beckons to budget-conscious trendoids who want to save money and animal lives.” A pair of leather pants can cost $500 or more, while pleather pants can be found for less than a fifth of the price.
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Leather: Buy leather, and animals pay the price—with their lives. Production lines move so fast that slaughterhouse employees routinely kill, skin and dismember fully conscious animals.
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