Paizo (vegan shoes for children from Greece)

Paizo offers cute vegan sneakers and sandals, from a country that has a long history of making quality shoes in family-run workshops. Greek vegan brands often work closely with local makers, to keep proud traditions alive.

Many use recycled plastic, cotton or cork. This keeps waste low and helps reduce the carbon footprint of each pair. As Europe does not offer half-sizes, go for a size up rather than down, to avoid squashing little feet, and just wear thicker socks.

Why choose vegan shoes for children?

You would think that considering the vegan footwear industry for adults has taken off, that for children it would follow closely behind. In fact, there are few vegan brands of shoes for children.

Firstly, let your children go barefoot where safe to do so (unless diabetic) to make sure their feet get air and room to grow. And take them to a shoe shop to get their feet measured, to avoid the hassle of returns, when shopping online.

Most leather is not a by-product of the meat industry (which for some parents is an issue in itself). Most brands source leather from the Far East, where there are few animal welfare laws (and often not many for humans in factories either – the tanning industry is also very polluting and carcinogenic – can cause cancer).

Quality vegan shoes are usually made from Microfiber, which is easy to clean with a damp cloth.