FAIR is a Portuguese, vegan shoe company. The name FAIR is an acronym of For All Its Rights, and a clever hint at what their company is about: FAIR aim to balance quality and design with the vegan philosophy (the definition of which is don't hurt animals as much as practical and possible). They want to respect not just the animals, but people and nature too, by producing FAIR shoes under worker-friendly conditions and by using sustainable materials. Hence the name FAIR. They are one of the few companies that are PETA approved and whilst I, like most vegans, don't really like PETA, I have to say that I, like most vegans, do still trust their approved companies.
FAIR (For All Its Rights) Shoes
My ex approached FAIR and asked them if they would be willing to let us try a couple of their fair shoes in exchange for a fair review. They agreed, and a man met us at St. Pancras Station, in London, gave us a box of shoes and then promptly departed. It felt like a dodgy drug deal, which I found funny because it was instead an innocent vegan shoe deal. But enough about me and what I think is funny, what are FAIR all about. They are fighting against: The Leather Industry, Slave Labour and Climate Change. The Big Three. After watching Earthlings my ex and I vowed never to use leather again. Leather is cruel, vile and unnecessary when there are so many alternatives. Side note: here is our reaction video to Earthlings:
The Leather Industry
All of FAIR's shoes are vegan, which means that all of their shoes are completely free of animal bits and pieces - not just animal skin (leather) but glue that's made out of animals too. When I first decided to go vegan I realised that the easiest thing to 'give up' would be leather - this is because leather is easier to avoid than meat, fish, eggs and dairy. We grow up having meat, fish, dairy and eggs as part of our daily lives, we even have holidays where these four play a ginormous role (meat and fish at Christmas, eggs at Easter etc). The same cannot be said for leather (thankfully). We don't 'have' to have leather three times a day and at big family events like we 'have' to have meat and cheese. So it's easier to give up in this sense. In another sense, it's not even the most popular clothing material - I think cotton is - and there are so many different clothing options. And even if you've got a special 'thing' for leather that pineapple leather can't solve, watching one video of where leather comes from will, hopefully, make you rethink your need - it's literally the cows only skin, they die without it, I think you need it less than they do. (And if you're thinking that leather is a byproduct of the meat industry, and that skin is from a cow that's dead anyway, like I used to believe, I'm sorry but that's a common misconception. Leather cows are generally different from meat or dairy cows, so the skin from meat and dairy cows does not become leather, and leather cows is a whole other giant and horrible industry in its own right.)
Long story short, FAIR understand this and thus none of their shoes are made from leather. I also really appreciate that all of their shoes are vegan - so often we come across brands and companies that have a vegan product, which is great! But not all of their products are vegan. Which is irritating, like do the whole thing already please. I appreciate that there are steps to get to veganism, but so many companies just take the first step (offering one or two cruelty free products) and then just rest there forever. It's not good enough. But FAIR are not like that - they have gone the whole way of not only making sure all of their products are vegan, but also branding themselves as vegan too. Respect!
Human Induced Climate Change
FAIR seek to use the most sustainable materials for their shoes, because even when you don't use animals, there are lots of other bad non-eco-friendly materials which contribute to climate change. And at the end of the day animals (including us) live in the environment - climate change is bad for them and us alike, and thus I would (and often do) argue that as vegans it's also our duty to not contribute to climate change as much as practical and possible. It's not much use freeing all the animals in slaughter houses, dairy farms and leather farms if they then have nowhere to go on a planet that's boiling us alive.
Unfortunately, brands sometimes see the potential in marketing vegan products to vegans but end up replacing the animal product with something that's still bad for the environment (e.g. cow leather jackets being replaced with plastic leather jackets). It's unfortunate because a) this puts some environmental people off being vegan (which is ironic, as we know veganism is the only real way to truly be environmental) and b) although it's a step better to not be using animals, it's still not good enough. FAIR understand this, and in my opinion this puts them a step above most vegan-friendly companies. I'd have been impressed if it was just vegan products that they were offering, but the fact that they are eco-friendly products too, is even more impressive.
Modern Slavery
Now, wearing cruelty-free clothes doesn't stop at what they're made out of, it's also important to find out how they're being made, aka making sure that your clothes aren't made through slave labour. After all, humans are animals too, which makes them fall under the vegan protection category, in my opinion. The FAIR shoe collection comes from Portugal and is made under worker-friendly conditions which includes paying a living wage. As far as I know, they are not (yet) a workers co-op - the only truly ethical workplace.
But having worker-friendly conditions and paying a living wage already puts them much higher up on the list when it comes to being ethical towards its workers. Just think about all the brands from Primark to Adidas that regularly, and almost transparently, practice unethical working conditions and slave labour. Additionally, FAIR was created by Carina Boavida who is a woman, making it a female created company - something that we need more and more of if we're ever going to achieve equality.
My Review of FAIR Vegan Shoes:
So with their commitment to avoiding animal products and non eco-friendly products, as well as their worker-friendly conditions, we've established that FAIR shoes are absolutely doing their part to help save the world, but do they feel good? And, do they look good? When it comes to fashion, it's subjective, of course, however, one of FAIR's aims is to create modern shoes that suit different styles for different people, something I personally think they've achieved - I tried the Lime Flower Slippers and my ex styled the Everyday Chelsea Boots and this is what we thought:
Everyday Chelsea Boots
My ex, Tom, tried the Everyday Chelsea Boots. In terms of what they are made of, these have an outer layer made of high quality Italian microfibre. They are breathable and eco-friendly (they don't contain harmful products, for example they are PVC free).
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| Photo credit: FAIR |
The lining is made of a 100% breathable and anti-allergy microfibre. This ecological microfibre is made with a CO2-free manufacturing system. It does not contain harmful products (e.g. it's Oeko-Tex certified). The outer sole is neolite. Now for his actual review: Tom loved his Chelsea Everyday Boots. He said that they are very comfortable, warm, lightweight and stylish. Plus they go with most jeans, especially skinny jeans, but can also go with a smart suit. They are the boot for autumn and winter, they're also really easy to put on and off as they have no laces. He really liked that they are not leather and that they're trendy. He thinks that they are ideal for city life.
His final thought was that they are very versatile - they can be worn for anything from casual shopping to evening events.
Lime Flower Slippers
I chose the Lime Flower Slippers. They also have an outer made of textile and high quality Italian microfibre, they do not contain harmful products and are PVC free.
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| Photo credit: FAIR |
The lining is a 100% breathable and anti-allergy, ecological micro-fibre made with a CO2-free manufacturing system. Also, they do not contain harmful products and are Oeko-Tex certified. The outer sole is neolite. I loved these shoes, they are smart and perfect for checking into a fancy hotel, but lightweight enough to meet carry-on restrictions. The colours - beige, baby-blue, navy-blue and black compliment each other and the pattern is subtle but pretty.
I ordered mine in a 39 (UK 6) and like most 39s they fit me perfectly. There was an initial slight rubbing on the back of my left foot, however this happens to me in every single pair of shoes I've ever had (sigh). After a few tries they moulded to my feet perfectly and are now really comfortable - just like slippers! So whilst I wouldn't recommend that you wear them on a three hour shopping spree on your first go, you should have no problem if you're sensible and wear them in a bit beforehand. I particularly love the slight heel, for my body shape it's the perfect height - not so high that I feel like I'm going to fall over, but not so low that my hips hurt. And of course they make a beautiful noise on wooden floors.
Wrap Up: FAIR (For All Its Rights) Shoes Review
All in all, I love FAIR and their shoes. They fit perfectly into my Look Good and Save the World series, because they're PETA approved, vegan, worker-friendly and they are super-stylish and beautiful too. I feel like they're going above and beyond in a time where brands are still trying to wrap their heads around veganism and, unfortunately, how they can exploit it. In contrast, FAIR are the real deal. You can tell they genuinely care not just about animals, but the environment and people too. As someone who believes that these three things all need to be treated nicely, it's really nice to find an ethical brand that apparently thinks so too. I reviewed these shoes in 2016, but I have the shoes to this day and they have withstood the test of time. Further, they are still available - as are some awesome new boots that I have my beedy eye on.
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| Tom's Everyday Chelsea Boots were perfect in Iceland |
To find out more, check out their website fair.pt. And to keep up with my Look Good and Save the World Series, follow me on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube too! This year we've branched out from the travel blogging world to be travel vloggers too. Check out our vlog review of our FAIR shoes for more information:
Disclaimer: Travelling Weasels were given these shoes in return for a honest review about them. As always all opinions are our own and we would never recommend anything we haven't personally tried and loved because that's not cool.
