Real leather boots - does the high street not sell them anymore?

[SnowyQueen]

I want a new pair of leather ankle boots (not suede). It seems that most shops just sell expensive “vegan” (cheap plastic) boots. Where can I find leather boots??

M&S have 58. John Lewis have 115.

Surely most boots in normal shoe shops are still leather? I mean... I know you can get 'vegan leather' ones, but they aren't the norm. I've fairly recently been in Clarks, various department stores, M&S, an independent local shoe shop and a few clothes shops who also sell some footwear. All had leather boots.

I think most leather boots and non synthetic cloth left the high street long ago in the same way that food without ultra processed ingredients left the supermarkets. All things are aimed at the lowest common denominator now. We have accepted crap for so long in an effort to get the lowest price that this is what we're stuck with.

Dr Marten? Carvela? Fatface? Sea salt? M and S? Clarks? Are you sure you’re not just looking at the cheap options like New Look? You definitely have to pay a bit extra for leather over fake leather boots. Once you’re at around the £80 mark and over it’s mainly leather.

I’ve just bought the Peper boots from Dune- they are beautiful and were available for about £70 on Amazon!

Fly London are worth a look - you can get them on Schuh which often has deals on

Sainsbury's certainly used to, joules had good sale prices.

Even Primark sell leather..... You're not looking properly.

& Other Stories, Arket, Cos, Uterque

Always buy my boots from Jones The Bootmaker, never been disappointed with anything from them.

Clarks, M&S, John Lewis, Jones the Bootmaker, Fat Face.

Moshulu - although they're not on every High Street but they are on mine (but are available online).

@LoveLabradors

I shudder to think of the provenance of cheap leather - it will almost certainly involve horrific suffering. Why would anyone expect to be able to buy cheap leather? Also many people chose “vegan” leather as an ethical alternative now. Leather has ceased to be a by product of the meat industry now as its worth is much greater - if places like China can treat companion animals with such barbarism how on Earth do they treat cows and sheep etc? The endless expectation of of cheap food and clothes based on the suffering of other people and animals has to end. Primark leather will not be in anyway sourced from humanely treated animals. Not to mention the fact that in the Far East it has not been uncommon for dog leather to enter the supply chain.

'Companion animals' vary though don't they. One persons pet is another persons dinner. Why is it morally OK to wear the skin of a cow but not that of a dog?

It doesn't matter whether the boots cost £25 from Primark or £1250 from Chanel, it is still the hide of a dead animal. Not that I have any issue with this - I'm a meat eater and any objections on my part would be nothing more than hypocrisy.

I believe there are also several questions to be asked about the environmental issues that are caused by synthetic, sorry vegan leather.

Rather than preaching, it might do more good to discuss how the poorer people in society can have a better income, therefore allowing them to purchase better quality goods.

I have just got a pair of leather boots from Gabor and also have leather ones from Clarks and Ugg.

Never bought synthetic shoes/boots, can get them just the same to my mind, sure there's lots of plastic around, but can still get decently priced leather from TKMax, even Sainsbury's do some full leather lines. It really is not as hard as you are making out.

@Busygoingblah

Dr Marten? Carvela? Fatface? Sea salt? M and S? Clarks? Are you sure you’re not just looking at the cheap options like New Look? You definitely have to pay a bit extra for leather over fake leather boots. Once you’re at around the £80 mark and over it’s mainly leather.

I have a couple of pairs of Dr Martens boots and a suede pair from Clark’s. I’m just looking for a different style of ankle boots. I don’t really shop at the other places you mentioned so I didn’t think to look there.

@LoveLabradors

I shudder to think of the provenance of cheap leather - it will almost certainly involve horrific suffering. Why would anyone expect to be able to buy cheap leather? Also many people chose “vegan” leather as an ethical alternative now. Leather has ceased to be a by product of the meat industry now as its worth is much greater - if places like China can treat companion animals with such barbarism how on Earth do they treat cows and sheep etc? The endless expectation of of cheap food and clothes based on the suffering of other people and animals has to end. Primark leather will not be in anyway sourced from humanely treated animals. Not to mention the fact that in the Far East it has not been uncommon for dog leather to enter the supply chain.

Please go away and take your anti-East Asian hatred with you.

I’m on the lookout for non-leather products and I’m actually finding it increasingly difficult to find them. M&S made a big hoohah about expanding its vegan range a few years ago, but now there’s much more (cheap) leather in stock and their vegan selection has reduced a lot.

Snowy Queen it is simply factual - not hate. China has a terrible record for animal welfare. It’s indisputable. To call stating this fact “hate” is ridiculous, tiresome and insulting too. It’s too easily used now to shut down debate. RobertaFirmino I’m not disputing people’s right to choose leather - I’m talking about being mindful of how endless cheap leather has an impact on animal welfare. There is not going to be good animal husbandry involved. And the leather industry is far from environmentally friendly too. Animals - sentient beings pay a terrible price for cheap leather.

@BabCNesbitt

I’m on the lookout for non-leather products and I’m actually finding it increasingly difficult to find them. M&S made a big hoohah about expanding its vegan range a few years ago, but now there’s much more (cheap) leather in stock and their vegan selection has reduced a lot.

Imitation leather is in every shop I’ve seen. There’s so much choice!

@LoveLabradors

Snowy Queen it is simply factual - not hate. China has a terrible record for animal welfare. It’s indisputable. To call stating this fact “hate” is ridiculous, tiresome and insulting too. It’s too easily used now to shut down debate. RobertaFirmino I’m not disputing people’s right to choose leather - I’m talking about being mindful of how endless cheap leather has an impact on animal welfare. There is not going to be good animal husbandry involved. And the leather industry is far from environmentally friendly too. Animals - sentient beings pay a terrible price for cheap leather.

It's not fact as most leather is produced in India so China's animal welfare record is irrelevant to this thread. And actually India's record is also irrelevant as it's not what the OP asked about.

You do have a good point about the cruelty of the leather industry. Unfortunately you've undermined it with ignorance and racism. Please do educate yourself before you start berating others for their choices.

What kind of style? In M&S and John Lewis they both had leather ankle boots, but M&S were a bit more like hiking boots if you know what I mean?

Imitation leather is in every shop I’ve seen. There’s so much choice!
Which shops are you looking in?

Literally every shoe shop, department store and even the supermarkets have a range of leather shoes.

This thread does just feel like you're attempting to have a dig at leather alternatives. Or are extremely limited in your ability to find shoes.

Waltzing Betty. I’m aware thanks of large scale leather production in India. I’m also very aware of the scale of leather production in China, Vietnam etc. I’m also aware of the brutality involved in any animal trade there - from fur to down to leather. To bring racism in again is ridiculous. You can’t just shut down debates about animal welfare by shouting hate or racism. And as I said previously I doubt working conditions for the workers are exactly wonderful either - there is a lot of human and animal suffering for the insatiable appetite of endless consumerism.