Need vegan dress shoes for work, a wedding or an upcoming event? It can be tricky as not that many shoe label their vegan shoes all that well, and particularly with men’s dress shoes, most seem to be leather. You can use this guide to shoe symbols but know that some non-vegan brands use animal-based glues, and check if your city has a vegan shoe store or a vegan shop that sells shoes. It’s definitely something I’ve noticed over the last 17 years being vegan – while there are now more vegan sneaker options than ever, the field of dress shoes lags behind!
Or, take a leaf out of this five-year-old’s book and ask a local footwear shop if they’ll order in vegan shoes for you. Or, I’ve put together a list of the best vegan dress shoes I’ve come across, from trusted brands.
NAE vegan dress shoes
What I love: vegan brand based in Portugal, renowned to good quality shoes
A long-standing vegan shoe brand, NAE (which stands for No Animal Exploitation) has been making vegan shoes since 2008. They’re based in Portugal, which is renowned for making quality European footwear.
NAE uses sustainable materials that they source from Spain, Italy and Portugal. They make a few classic styles of dress shoe, made of vegan leather, such as Derby shoes, Oxford shoes and Blucher shoes. All perfect for when you need a dress shoe for a work meeting or formal wear.
Solari Milano vegan formal shoes and boots
What I love: they specialise in vegan formal shoes
Solari Milano was born when a former London investment banker, Niccolò Amati, recognised the difficulty of finding vegan shoes for professional, formal environments. So, he and his business partner, Orsola Amati, who has a background in vegan shoe production, started Solari Milano.
They source all materials from Italy, including bio vegan leathers (such as vegan corn leather) and recycled materials. Their shoes are perfect if you like the look and feel of Italian handcrafted dress shoes, but made vegan.
They have a great range, from Oxfords and loafers to smart Chelsea boots, too.
V.Gan dress shoes
Why I love them: a fully vegan brand made in a vegan certified factory
V.Gan is a PETA-approved vegan shoe brand that’s been making high-quality vegan footwear since 2018. I love their sneakers and boots, but they also do a full range of vegan formal shoes.
They make vegan brogues, Derby shoes, and a really interesting design called monk shoes. These feature buckled two leather straps over the top of the shoe’s tongue.
Ross Oliver vegan cactus leather dress shoes
What I love: their use of vegan cactus leather, a sustainable and durable material made using waste
Ross Oliver makes vegan loafers from cactus leather, a high-performing, sustainable material. Cactus leather is a fantastic new vegan leather alternative I love, because it’s durable, water- and abrasion-resistant and eco-friendly. It’s made from the leaves of nopales cacti, which requires little water to grow (obviously!) which is great from a sustainability perspective.
Their range is purely vegan loafers, but my favourite part is that as well as classic black and navy, they also make dark green and burgundy loafers. Perfect if you want something a bit different to sand out, which isn’t always easy when a lot of vegan shoes stick to classic, basic colours.
Will’s vegan dress shoes
Why I love them:
Will’s started out life as the first vegan footwear brand specialising in men’s shoes (though they since expanded into making women’s shoes, too). They are my favourite for finding classic looks of shoes in vegan leather.
They make one of the widest ranges of vegan dress shoes, everything from brogues to loafers to Oxford shoes and Derbys, mostly in black, tan and brown. They also have several models with Goodyear welted soles, the standard for longest-lasting shoes. These soles are durable and easy for any cobbler to replace. I highly recommend getting Goodyear soles if you want long-lasting dress shoes.
Matt and Nat vegan dress shoes
Matt and Nat are a long-running vegan Canadian brand which started in 1995. Their men’s range is small, and their dress shoe range even tinier (just one pair of dress shoes, and loafers), but if you want shoes from a long-standing brand, I recommend Matt and Nat or Vegetarian Shoes (below).
I had a Matt and Nat wallet I used daily for over a decade – so their products definitely last a long time.
Vegetarian Shoes smart shoes collection
Vegetarian Shoes are the oldest vegan shoe brand in the world, starting in 1990. They make durable vegan footwear, and have a few options for boots in their smart range, if you need smart boots.
Their vegan dress shoe range includes suit shoes, Oxford and brogues, plus the aforementioned smart boots.
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Looking for more shoes? See my full guide to vegan shoe brands.
I also have guides to specific shoe styles such as vegan loafers, vegan flats, vegan heels, vegan sandals, vegan boots, vegan Chelsea boots, vegan ankle boots, vegan combat boots, vegan mens boots, vegan knee high boots, vegan cowboy boots, vegan winter boots, vegan sneakers, vegan Reebok, vegan clogs and vegan slippers.
Or, check out my guide to vegan designer shoes.
Find all my vegan beauty & fashion guides.
