So fucking cross - £45 Clarks shoes not even fucking leather???????

[inlovewithhubby]

As above. Two pairs bought today for 4 and 6 year old. Bought patent for first time ever as my last child starts school and I caved. Just took the stickers out and discovered to my horror they aren't even leather?? How on earth can they justify that cost for man made fibre shoes? I am going to kick off massively, I got them in John Lewis so I'm starting there, but does anyone know how they manage it?

Man made fibre makes feet sweat. Leather also 'gives' in a way man made fibre doesn't. It's also cheap and I could have got a pair of plastic shoes off the shelf for about £7 from any supermarket. I thought I was paying for quality but I'm clearly not.

Interestingly there is a confusing sign on the labels if both pairs which resembles the leather sign, but they then clearly state that they are man made fibre. Im initially going after misrepresentation but i didn't even look at the signs - I just presumed that a 40 plus quid pair of Clarks shoes would be leather. AI really being U for having that expectation?

If it helps clear things up, i bought these for my dds last week and was pissed of to see the inside label saying man made. Checked on the website and they are coated leather.

If you want shoes for wide feet then look at 'Happy Little Soles' they sell barefoot shoes from a few different suppliers. The vivobarefoot school shoes are fab and very hard wearing although admittedly a bit more expensive than Clarks. But they have a few other options as well.

OP, look on your receipt or on the box, the name of the style will be there.

There are two different shoe styles obviously, both clarks:

One is a trixi beau pre, described as black patent (not leather in title), and the label inside reads thus:

Trixi beau pre
Black patent
Verni noir
(Now onto the pictorals)
Pic of shoe pointing to upper, what looks like a leather sign, then a diamond, then the words 'man made upper, tige de materiaux synthetiques.

Pic of shoe showing inside sign - weird Checky box sign and diamond

Bottom of shoe sign - diamond.

Other shoe is a clarks glo form Ting Fever Inf. Label inside identical.

Apologies for the Ludditeism - would that I could upload a pic or link to web but alas it evades me.

For those that have asked for tips on finding more ethical leather shoes. I have none.

To me it is an oxymoron. It doesn't exist. It's akin to asking for a more ethical way of exploiting somebody else in order to make money.

I'll probably bow out of this now tbh.

OP I hope you keep and use your accidental vegan purchase.

DS recently got a summer job at Clarks and I was suprised how good the training was for fitting. He had to go to another town for a training day and there is in store training too. They are supervised for quite some time before they are qualified as fitters. There is also no pressure put on them to sell anything other than the right shoes for the customer. They are not pressurized to sell more expensive shoes or anything like that.
They are asked to ask customers if they want any shoe care products which I find a bit pushy, however DS says that a suprising number of customers buy the shoe care products.

Clark,shoes are quality. My dcs have always had them and they have lasted the year, and that's with ds kicking a football around also.

Unless they were advertised as leather, they haven't done anything wrong. They haven't misled you.

Shoes are expensive. However, I would rather than buy one pair,of Clark shoes that lasts the year, rather than 3-4 cheaper pairs that are poorly made, don't give good support, and probably cost more in the long run.

The leather sign with a diamond in means coated leather.

I haven't read the whole thread but just want to say that co-incidentally I saw the price of children's school shoes in the shoe shop window round our way and was shocked at the £45 tag. How can families manage?

Floaty flo that's hilarious!

Shelagh - right I'm off to clarks website. Why on earth would they put man made upper on the label if it's leather????

You are no longer paying for quality at Clark's. Number of years ago they moved manufacture from the UK to China.

Happened to me, went to Debenhams, saw Guess high knee boots for £95, asked the lady if it is genuine leather, said yes and I bought it.

After using it once, one bit peeled off when I missed step walking up the stairs. Unfortunately, I can't return it cause the return policy time had gone.

Those are both leather uppers

Your anger and indignation is unwarranted.
😂😂

Oh, unless it turns out they're not vegan in which case, go man-made!

www.clarks.co.uk/p/26118888

According to the Clarks website they are coated leather. However, they are also £34! Maybe you need to,go back to JL to get a part refund on the price, not because of the leather.

Trixi Beau are leather according to the website.

t4nut I don't think you were ever paying for quality in the UK either, and as for "fitting", when I was growing up, I was in a local school to the factory, they brought in free shoes for people who were the right size for testing. Why if the fit is all so important and clarks met the fit, were so many kids feet not appropriate.

Shoes don't need to be fitted, "barefoot" shoes which are wide enough for everyone exist, they're great, they cost the same as Clarks crap, and you don't need to queue up as you buy them online.

The only on i could see matching your description are these ones. They are patent leather uppers.

And not £45 either.

Aphrodite

You can still return them even if outside a published returns window. The key phrase is that they were not of merchantable quality - they did not perform the function they were sold to do under normal usage.

They are bloody coated leather!! I just checked the website. Why on earth the label inside says man made upper is beyond me. Suffice to say I'm very pleased thoutg??? Sorry Wannabe - neither deliberate nor accidental vegan.

This thread has made me think about sourcing more ethical leather though, if there is such a thing. I don't agree that that can't be possible, there is a vast difference between battery hens and free range hens, so I wonder if there is the same thing for leather goods too.

However, I'm now pissed off that I paid or in store than the online price (only by a couple of quid admittedly) but more importantly didn't get The torch and toy they allegedly come with?! I love a silver lining.

At least you didn't pay £45 for either of those shoes at John Lewis.

Sorry it isn’t those ones i linked to. Trixie Beau say they are coated leather.

They are the same price in John Lewis as at Clarks (£34 and £38)

• OP, I think you have had a confusing day

Where did you pay £45 for them?