Why Faux Leather Sucks - Vegan Doc Martens 

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"I miss cutting up Doc Martens. It's so easy" oh the SHADE

Every time Your cat sits on the shoebox in front of you for attention it makes my day. So cute! Pet it! Pet it!!!

The only question I have is, how do you resist petting your cat for so many consecutive minutes?

I’ve never seen a cat want to be by its owner so much. Your cat loves you man, and that’s in my eyes a sign of a great person. Thanks for all the I formative videos bro!

Docs aren't priced by their cost of materials. They're priced based on the nametag.

i had the vegan ones, they lasted me 4.5 years of wearing them dayly as my only pair of shoes. they were quite comfortable from the first day on. the thing that finally failed was the sole which basically broke in half at some point. the upper is pretty durable, they had some small holes from sitting on the ground with crossed legs quite often, but no cracks or tearing. the sweating you get from them is prettty bad tho. i got a used pair of leather docs (not the smooth, but idk which leather specifically, looks more natural and is quite thick) yesterday in very good condition. i'm curious to see how long they will last.

Even as a vegan I would never buy these. Way more sustainable and environmentally friendly to buy a good quality used pair. EDIT: I left this comment a year ago and never noticed it got any replies. But, to anyone arguing with my point or claiming I'm not a vegan because of it...that is fine and I do not care.

Why not wear one of each at the same time and see how they hold up. They look close enough that you do it for a month without looking strange.

Love the video. As someone who already bought this boot it was nice to see that a “vegan boot” isn’t just all fluff. Would love to see more videos on vegan brands and how they compare.

That cat's a paid actor. Prove me wrong.

I’m guessing that because the vegan leather doesn’t breathe they needed a felt midsole to help absorb moisture & the wool felt also helps control stink.

I bought some and was actually angry because they were the most uncomfortable shoes I'd ever worn. I just hated them. BUT after leaving them in the closet for months, I decided to make myself wear them for a while to be sure they wouldn't get better. Sure enough they became amazingly comfortable. And they did a great job of protecting my feet in a motorcycle accident.

I wouldn’t mind learning the environmental implications of fake leather.

I have an issue with the term “vegan leather” to begin with. It used to just be called fake leather or pleather, and I feel like calling it vegan is a marketing ploy more than anything; it makes it seem like it’s a fancier material than pleather when in reality they’re the same thing, but one sounds more classy (and can then be sold for more money). Same thing goes for vegan suede, it’s all just lower quality, cheaper imitations of natural materials, but calling it “vegan leather” instead of just “fake leather” makes it seem like it’s a higher quality material.

I’ve had the vegan Chelsea doc martens for about five years now. Early on the sole inserts wore down and replaced them with dr. Scholl insoles. They were fairly comfortable to begin with, didn’t need much breaking in. However, in this 5th year the outer vegan leather layer has started peeling very badly.

when did companies start saying “vegan leather” instead of just saying synthetic?

"vegan leather" is usually just plastic, thus not biodegradable. as someone who's veggie for the environment: if you're concerned with ethical consumption you should buy leather second hand

Ive been wearing the same pair of vegan docs for 8 years, and they still look great. The sole finally gave out and broke last week, but ya, they literally lasted me 8 years! Biggest issue with them is that the "leather" never gets that nice worn in look of a regular doc, they always look new.

How are you able to ignore the kitty when it's sitting right in front of you??

You can make leather-like (like, extremely leather-like) material from fungus and micro bacteria. A lot more durable than other faux leather, and far more environmentally friendly.

For your swatches, (Abrasion Test) If you put small springs on each side connected to a contraption, you would be able to provide equal pressure to each swatch, thus make your tests more consistent. Just an idea. Every Swatch would for sure have to be the same length.

I couldn't help but notice your supervisor/ OSHA representative perched on your desk ensuring that the work is done properly and safely! Very cute and qualified!

We need a video dedicated to Toaster. What’s his story? Wasn’t he hairless? Such a chill cat.

I have mine 3 years. Black and cherry versions - still going strong and no issues. Love them

Why everyone acting like the cat isn't just there for the box?

If only vegan leather was literally plant based. It'll be interesting to know out it'll turn out

To your average vegan, it's more important that telling people that they are vegan makes them feel better than whether or not their choices reduce carbon emissions or result in a net reduction in animal suffering.

That cat harness is the cutest thing I've ever seen he looks like a little alchemist baby

Wore the vegan DMs for 3 years 5 days a week at a warehouse job, the soles wore out before the boot material

Yep, but there aren't a lot of choices out there that don't directly participate in death of animals...so, we'll just have to keep going with these suboptimal replacements until some technology catches up. But glad to see the vegan leather wasn't that bad.

I watch your videos because I like your enthusiasm for longevity and quality, which is something we need to return to in all our manufacturing. As a Vegan who is studying a Masters in Sustainable Development this a very difficult issue. Plastics support the oil industry, is harmful to our oceans, and harmful to our health in the form of micro-plastics. Leather supports the meat/dairy industry, therefore involves animal cruelty, and livestock is also one of the largest contributors to climate change (after oil). Have you thought about reviewing plant based shoes? For example Wills Vegan Work Boots are made from plants and manufactured in Europe (meaning proper pay and working conditions). The Reebok Forever Floatride GROW are also a plant based runner (sneaker in American). Adidas do the Parley range which is made from recycled plastics also. Just a thought as it might be an interesting comparison. Thanks for the video, I appreciate your curiosity and knowledge in the production of quality products.

Leather is more a "coproduct" than a byproduct of the meat industry, the skin is factored into the process, the animals are raised just as much for their leather as they are for meat. main goal is to make as much profit from the creature as possible, they are living money making machines to the farmer. Leather is an animal product, produced to meet consumer demand like any other product animals are raised and slaughtered for

I've been wearing martens 1920 for the most part of past 20 years. I noticed the quality and endurance fell a lot few years ago, when they stopped putting foam into the sole holes. Coincidentially (or is it? ;) it was the time when I noticed there is no longer made in uk mark on the bottom, replaced by made in china.

How did you engineer Toaster's harness to expand when he transforms into Battle Cat;?

That cat is a trip. Lol. Literally falling asleep as it sits there listening to you talk. :)

If you left genuine leather footwear in the ground long enough, it would return to the soil so to speak. So why is this called vegan leather, when it will only become micro plastic in a few thousands of years?

I will say it's funny that the smooths look more plastic than the vegan ones

why is the cat *SeMi-nAkEd* love it

My daughter has been wearing her vegan DM boots for almost 3 years. They've actually held up and worn in quite nicely (to my surprise). Her only "complaint" is that they went through a period where they were a bit "squeaky" and that embarrassed her, heheheh :)

Can you do a review on the cactus leather that was made recently (?) would be cool to see it's durability!

I’m plant based in terms of diet, skincare, and beauty. The one thing I won’t do anymore is vegan boots. They really don’t last as long, and I felt even more guilty about clogging up landfill than I did about wearing leather...

maybe its a ploy to force people away from normal leather shoes, by making them inferior to the hippie ones?

I love how calm the cat is, and how he is "just there"

I like how the cat is so attentive, just listening and watching.

Ive had mine for almost 3 years now and Im happy with them. Leather boots lasts up to max 2 winters here in Norway. I have a pair made from synthtic plastic with a glossy finish, and its great to keep water and bad weather out. And simple to clean. I got mine on sale though, I dont think Id use that much money just for a pair of shoes. Downside though is that they are not particularily comfortable to wear :/ The material is kinda stiff and "unformable" (is that even a word,, sorry Im Norwegian) :))

My experience with "vegan" leather is it is either considerablly cheaper, or considerablly more expensive. If it's made from material like PU then it's cheaper, but if it's made using alternative materials then the price goes up fast. This is only my anicodtal experience.

That cat is more stylish than most of us combined.

Thanks for the comparison! I think it would really interested to check out some the other vegan leathers on the market. Particularly made from natural ingredients. Check out Bohema No. 3 Boots (cactus leather!) Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather - Blaze (apple leather!) And Nae - Noah Piñatex (pineapple leather!)

I've been daily wearing a pair of vegan docs for the past 2 years and had a few basic leather docs before. My take on them is that they get hot AF in summer, a lot more than the leather ones, and they age differently (arguably not as beautifully) than the leather ones. They're also more resistant in my experience, mostly because doc's cheap leather tends to crack really quickly in dry weather while vegan leather doesn't change with weather (and lesser abrasion resistance is real but not a real issue, abrasion marks are there but they do not compromise the boot). The sole is weak as with most docs, no noticeable difference. They make an annoying squeaky noise for the first month or so. I would say that there's pros and cons to the vegan version. I'd like the leather ones to be as durable and care free as the vegan ones, I'd like the vegan ones to be as breathable and organically aging as the leather ones. It's really up to personal preference IMO.

i wrote a report for uni on animal leather and pu leather and how "vegan" leather is just green washing. Im interested if you can get cactus derived leather and do a video on your thoughts on it. The company is from mexico and is called desserto.

Unbelievable! I'm thinking of getting a pair cause I like the color, I'm definitely getting them now~!

what’s the difference between faux leather and “vegan leather”? the price tag

I have my vegans almost 5 years and mine are still beautiful.

From what I can see online, the debate is still ongoing about leather being a byproduct or co-product of the meat industry. If you are calling out misconceptions, it would be good to include sources. Buying and promoting new leather products is a tacit approval of the exploitation of animals for human gain. Biodegradable plant-based leathers are also available these days. I like your in-depth video’s a lot. I just think there should be more debate about leather as a material in general. I hope in future we will be transitioning away from it for animal welfare reasons. Cheers.

Hair dryer heat test. See if they would melt if left in a car during the summer.

If something is “vegan leather” I expect the price tag to reflect that. I’m not paying a premium for plastic.#sorrynotsorry

Lol, completely forgetting that leader profits increase the profitability of meat and thereby increases the amount of meat produced. Supply and demand.

Thank you for not being dismissive out of hand about the vegan leather, I did not expect that of you anyway. Leather is not simply a by-product of the meat industry. Despite most leather being obtained from animals slaughtered for meat or after producing milk. There is an important economic interdependence between factory farming and the leather trade, and thus farmers do not sell every single part of each animal to minimize waste but instead to maximize revenue and profit. For that reason leather is an animal product much like any other: produced to meet consumer demand while lining the pockets of those within the respective businesses. In actual fact, leather accounts for approximately 10% of the animal’s total value, making it the most valuable part, dollar for dollar. When I first became vegan, I wanted to still enjoy my leather shoes, and salved my conscience with the belief that leather is simply a by product. My opinion changed after watching a video of a cow standing over a pile of skins outside a slaughterhouse, bleating a long low mournful cry whilst sniffing the black and white skin on the top of the pile. Now I see leather for what it really is.

Hey man, been watching since the beginning and I throughly enjoy the quality and content of the videos you make. I got into leather working as a hobby about a year ago and it has turned into more of a really small business model to grow. I do wallets and small bags right now but I really would love to play with possibly making some boots and/or shoes. So your videos are a tremendous informative resource for knowledge on doing that and trying to understand what makes a great boot the best it can be. I just wanted to thank you for putting your time and effort into making such greatly produced videos and it seems there are a lot of other ppl that enjoy them just as much! I’m happy to say that you have inspired me in continuing on with the leather work and with working on some preliminary design concepts for how I plan to attempt to create some foot wear! Lol. Maybe once I get some done you can cut them in half and give me some honest feedback! On another note, I’m sure doing these boot videos take up a lot of time and behind the scenes work, just curious if you plan to do more of the wallet disassembling stuff also? I understand that you should spend more time on what brings in the most viewers and all that. I was just wondering because I do enjoy that content also. Thanks again!!

Mr Cat: “When is he going to open the box so I can get in it….”

Yes, the cat has it's own leather camera harness. Rose Anvil is that cool.

Life is like a Doc Martin. You never know what your gonna get.

Back when they had to call it "fake leather", it was just this crappy, cheap knock off, so they had no choice but to sell it cheap. Now they have the ingenious marketing term "vegan leather", as though this material was specifically made with animal welfare in mind. That's part of the reason why these aren't cheaper than the regular ones.

found a geniune HeaTona coat crafted somewhere around 1952. Leather and sheepskin. LASTED 68 YEARS AND IS STILL IN EXCELENT CONDITION! And above all, it's a kids coat. Can you imagine? Back then, all clothes would be tailored by profesionals or family members, even a kids coat would be made to last years and to be passed down generations. Clothes were an investment. Nowadays, Fast fashion has taken over and we are supporting poverty to keep up to date with the ever-changing fashion trends. Fashion trends would last a decade, now they change every season! All because of the indroduction to cheap, fast fashion clothing. As a kid, kids clothing is especially poorly made. I can not find a good wool and leather kid's coat, properly tailored to last years that wasn't tailored long, long ago. Even the small tailoring businesses in my area fighting the massive wave of fast fashion clothing seem to always run out of business fast. It feels like no one even cares about quality any more. I don't think anyone realises that clothes can and should last decades! I think we should buy less and when we do buy, buy only clothing tailored to last a lifetime or sew it ourselves. Because of all the op shops asking for no more donations, I presume people start to head in the right direction, by cleaning out their wardrobes so it only has what they need. But then go out and buy more. And then get sick of what they had in their wardrobe and give it to opshops, creating an endless cycle which is only contributing to fast fashion even more! If clothes were an investment, people would not just "get bored of their wardrobe" and our op shops would not be flooded with clothes that inevetibly have to be thrown out. As consumers, we can make any change we want, even if it doesn't seem like it. Anyways, thanks for listening to me ranting if you made it this far.

I have my vegans 1460 for 10 years now! My mom's bought them for me when I was in high school. Not that she picked vegan on purpose - we don't usually have Docs in common shops in our country, this was the only pair. What can I say - they're as good as new. Only the sole is much thinner. Not a crack, not a major scratch.

@7:23 Yes, but it supports said industry because they don't sell "Junk in the trunk" for free. It is a complex topic because at some point in the supply chain someone makes money from killing animals. E. g. the same company that sells vegan burger patties is involved in selling the meat patties. 🤔

I’ve had my vegan docs for 5+ years, wearing them them to work (working on my feet for 8+ hours) and can honestly say, they still look new, it’s so strange! There’s some gentle scratches, but no real visible wear or tear except for the inside of the shoe, which has moulded unto the shape of my foot over the course of time.

Hi, I'm a cat and I'm going to pretend to be interested in what's going on here so you'll notice me.

If it isn't leather ... the word LEATHER shouldn't be anywhere in it's description

The cat is my second favorite part of these videos

Suggestion: Could you maybe take a look at those UGGs, that are made more like classical men boots, like the HANNEN TL or like the HALFDAN? Great review btw.

There's no misconception, even if it's a biproduct of meat, buying leather is still making extra money to the meat industry. It's simple market, a lot of people don't want to buy leather, to not enrich the meat industry further.

i've been wearing my vegan dr. martens for six years straight from fall to spring almost daily and they still look good enough

I hate the term "vegan leather", it's just plastic and not durable at all. Lots of "vegan [name of natural material" like "vegan fur" is just plastic! Straight up plastic! Vegan fur especially breaks apart and leaves millions of microplastic particles in the water.

Would this guy recommend wearing human leather? Also, if I were his cat, I would be really weary that one day he may decide to make slippers of me, because, obviously, he is lucking of basic compassion to the victims of animal abuse.

My HS French teacher has a pair of Docs that she's had since 1990.

Oh that was interesting. But having a wool felt midsole makes the boots no longer vegan. I'm excited for the dr martins crocs! And Toaster is so stinkin cute in his harness!

As a vegan I am glad Doc Martens provides me with an option as otherwise I would never buy their leather boots. I like how you reserve the right to be wrong. Vegans don’t eat meat either so your point about leather being a byproduct of the meat industry is not something a vegan respects. We want the meat production to end too not just the leather. For me there is only the vegan leather option. Nice to see they do not rip as easily and that the sole is better. Thanks for the review!

A lot of vegan leathers are biodegradable now. Will’s vegan store makes shoes in Italy, and brave gentleman makes shoes in brazil. Both are sold in US, and both are biodegradable and have a carbon neutral supply chain.

Can you also do a review on the vegan Solovair. And maybe see how they compare to the vegan dr martens

Here's what everybody needs to know about leather: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RE2mhaoUNaE.html

You should do a review on the brand Vegetarian Shoes ! I'm pretty curious

Since you asked for our thoughts, here are some observations and thoughts I had during the video :) Not all regular Martens boots have the full-length inserts. And there are other changes in their appearances as well - I learned this when at one point a couple of years ago I had 3 pairs of 8-eye black patent Docs in my possession for a short time. It started as a simple repurchase of my old pair that I wore to pieces, but what arrived disappointed me by its slight differences in appearance. This resulted in me purchasing another pair from another distributor (all 3 were genuine), which looked different, again - from both of the previous pairs. I wish I have taken pictures, but at that time I wasn't interested, only disappointed. There was one difference that stood out to me: all were manufactured in different countries. This recognition resulted in me checking TONS of eBay listings (and even asking sellers to let me know the manufacturing country if it wasn't visible in the pictures) and coming up with conclusions - and after some returning and reselling, I finally managed to buy a new pair that I liked :P I noticed that while a model produced in one country had short inserts like the vegan boots shown in the video, another one made in another country had a full-length insert (my 14-eye vegan Martens have full-length inserts, unlike those of the one you cut). Another (more significant) difference - and the one that caused my disappointment, is that boots produced in different countries looked slightly different also on the outside: one was more rounded at the toes, the other had the slightest bit of a trapesoid shape. One's sole was curling up slightly at the front, while another had its full sole touching the ground. One was thinner in the middle, while another was bulkier in the middle and wider at the anke. This latter also caused noticeable differences in how they fit despite them being all the same size (the thinner one was almost a bit too tight to be comfortable, while the thickest felt like my feet were swimming in them! This was super strange because I have been wearing UK size 6 Docs for 20+ years and I never had fitting issues). Oh, and the colour of the yellow stitches was also not consistent - one was lighter, another closer to ochre. I wouldn't say these differences are necessarily down to country/factory, they might also differ from model to model, or even from year to year, but I believe the most logical explanation seems to be that there are slight differences in the machines and materials used in the different factories/countries (I have no clue if they have multiple factories per country). As for wear-resistence: so far I am super happy with how my Vegan Docs held up! I've spent years longing to buy a pair of these, but I didn't want to pay that high price because of my bad previous experiences with synthetic leather. One day sometime over 3 years ago I finally caved in to a reasonably good deal (14-eye vegan Docs are no longer in production, and they weren't already back then, so it wasn't easy to track one down) and bought a (slightly used!) pair - and now, having owned and worn them quite frequently (I would say at least 4 days a week on average - including summer), my experiences are the same, if not even better than with the old ones - including those (now very long ago) times when all Docs were produced in the UK. I've been wearing Doc Martens boots since the late 1990s, and have owned who knows how many pairs of their leather boots, and after 3 years I've always had at least minor rips formed from the creases that appear where the toes bend (and often also a sole partially or fully broken in two. I must have a weird, or at least very active way of walking :P ). With my vegan pair, while the grooves/wrinkling on the surface that you also pointed out scared me at first (and they do form quickly, and are there to stay), during these 3 years they never developed into massively deeper ridges that then grow into rips on the leather ones. (I'm happy to take picture of how they look like now if that's something you are interested in) On a side note, about cows and leather: I don't actually think people who say they don't support leather are thinking that there are cows that are raised and then killed solely for leather production. That just fails any possible logic to me (why toss the meat that some people would eat?). What I think these people are rather saying, is that cows are killed in general, and that's what they don't support. They won't be supporting killing them for meat or gelatine production either, their issue is not only with leather. At least that's how I think and how my mind works.

Fake leather boots costing 150 - 200 euro is CCCP grade insult towards the people.

I owned that exact pair of vegan Martens, and I found this video suuuper interesting ! First off I just want to comment on what you said at 5:16 : Vegan boots make sense because vegans don't eat meat either. It's a consistency issue, if you don't eat meat but buy leather you're still giving money to theses industries you criticize ... I agree with you that they're overpriced. I could forgive the price if there was some research (there has been some interesting work done with leather from fruit skin for instance) and an actual effort to make them as sustainable as possible, cause these things come with a cost. But it looks like it's essentially plastic-derivated materials and it's produced in Vietnam :( Other than that, from my experience, they're quite hard to "break" in the beginning, they definitely hurt my feet for a couple months. I've had them for over two years now, and they have a few wrinkles. The outsoles worn off more than I expected under one side the heels, which is a bit disappointing. I have no complains on the faux-leather's quality though, it's pretty solid and requires no kind of treatment. I actually got the side of my boot griped by an escaltor once but it didn't even rip , it just left a tiny scratch.

7:44

I've been wearing the 1460 vegan boots for 7 years now, almost every single day every winter and autumn. The only thing that has happened to far was the synthetic leather part on the ankles starting to peel off (But I never used any sorf of conditioner on the boots for 7 years so I think that's fair. ) Last year I met someone who didn't believe my docs were vegan and tried to inspect them very closely and still didn't believe me so I had to show him dr martens has a vegan range... I think they are stylish, durable and for me comfortable since I never had to break them in. I definitely recommend them.

Friendly reminder that vegan is not only about environnement, it’s also about what is ethical towards animals :) maybe some of you believe that leather is better for the environnement in terms of long term use and less consumption but sometimes it’s good to think about the ethical choice of buying vegan leather aka, not ripping the skin off of animals 😉😉

If you did a video discussing leather alternatives vs real leather that would be really cool (one that comes to mind is pineapple leather), would be cool to get your perspective on those from any research you can do on them

Yeah the point that vegan lether doest last as long as the real and could be less "eco friendly" vanishes with the fact that lether comes from meat industry.

I've had vegan docs for 2 years and taken them in the mud, rain, etc and they have held up. I clean them off and they look as good as new! No problems with the 'leather' so far.

So, they’re selling a cheaper, shorter lasting pair for basically the same price? The vegan stuff is marketing bs, it’s a far inferior product sold to gullible people. You might as well go buy a cheap pair at a supermarket for 10% of the price and they’re also “vegan”. I remember the faux leather shoes were always regarded as much worse by everyone I know. If you really want good boots, buy NOS or used army boots or any good leather boot, take care of it and if they’re built correctly, you can rebuild and repair the soles as they age essentially lasting almost forever and if you look at the environmental impact, you’re doing much less damage buying once while also supporting your local cobbler.

Interesting, though I have worn my vegan docs frequently for 3 years now and they are in very good condition still!

*Am I the only one who felt super sleepy after watching his cute cat? 🤗*

I bought a 100 vegan Blair sandals and after two times of wearing them they where peeling and unstitching . Very disappointed

Thank you for this video!! I had vegan Doc Martens and wore them for 6 years through and only had to stop wearing them cos i literally wore out the sole, i got small holes where the "wide" part of the foot is, but i honestly always get that with any shoe, sneakers and such always tear in those places after a few months. I am so happy to see that it's actually a really good shoe and maybe my review helps for your research! I was honestly surprised cos no other shoe has ever lasted me that long with such constant wear! the faux leather also stays soo beautiful even now, it never chipped or anything. Honestly, I was surprised too to what level vegan leather has come!

Can we get just a few "toaster special" episodes please

This video is really good. The cat makes it even better!

I have the vegan boots and to be honest I am quite amazed by their durability. I live in England so over the course of 3 years (since I have the pair) I have probably worn them for roughly 20 months every single day. They still look new and there's nothing I can criticize about them.