Men's Athletic Shoes

All of the men's runners, cross training shoes, and other athletic shoes you'll find here are vegan and animal-friendly. They're all free of any animal-derived materials and by-products. We even contact each company individually to make sure.

Men's Athletic Shoes

$140
Newton – Men’s Fate 7 Running Shoe
View Detail >
$140
Newton – Men’s Distance Elite Racer Running Shoes
View Detail >
$180
Inov-8 – Men’s Fastlift 335 Weight-Lifting Shoe
View Detail >
$125
Newton – Men’s Distance 10 Running Shoe
View Detail >
$175
Newton – Men’s Running Shoes, Motion 10
View Detail >

What are “vegan” athletic shoes?

Vegan athletic shoes are gym shoes, runners, cross training shoes, walking shoes, cleats, trail running shoes and other kinds of sports shoes that use materials (including dyes and adhesives) that are not derived from animals. 

What materials are used to make men's vegan athletic shoes?

Most running shoes, vegan or otherwise, are made exclusively with synthetic materials. Some non-vegan shoes however, have animal-derived materials, by-products and even animal testing snuck in there:

  • Some non-vegan runners are made of synthetics blended with various leathers
  • Some brands use glue derived from animal bones to hold the synthetic materials together
  • Most shoes are made with synthetic dyes and inks, but some brands use animal-derived dyes and inks
  • Some shoe companies conduct toxicity tests of their material, dyes, and glues on animals

Please Note: Most companies will not advertise that their glues and dyes are made from, or tested on animals. It’s safest to buy running, training, walking, lifting and other sports shoes from companies that are 100% vegan, such as Newton and inov-8.

Why buy men's athletic shoes that are vegan?

Why harm something that you don’t have to? Training shoes, runners, trail running shoes, lifting shoes, cross training shoes, gym shoes and other types of athletic shoes made without the use of animal materials, byproducts and testing are just as good, and in many cases superior, to their non-vegan counterparts. 

Does buying one pair of vegan athletic shoes really make a difference?

Yes, it’s actually one of the most effective forms of animal activism, believe it or not, and here’s how it works: Buying from stores that sell vegan athletic and sport shoes tells them to stock more, which in turn tells manufacturers to make more…and so on. Demand fuels supply. This also sends the opposite message to companies making leather and cruelty-derived athletic shoes; demand for them is shirking, even if only by a little. The more people supporting vegan companies and brands, the less that are supporting the other guys, and the more awareness that's raised about these issues in general.

Are men's vegan athletic shoes expensive?

It really depends on the pair. Men’s vegan runners, cross trainers, gym shoes, etc., just like their non-vegan counterparts, are designed, produced and sold by different designers, brands and stores, and can be made from different combinations of materials. The prices can vary accordingly.

Should I get rid of non-vegan athletic/gym shoes that I already own?

This is as as hotly a debated topic as any within the vegan community. In our opinion, it’s up to you to decide. Some people can’t stand to look at leather shoes they own after they become vegan, so wearing or using them is no longer an option. Others feel that they already own them, and can’t afford new shoes just yet, so they wait until the shoes have outlived their usefulness, and simply opt to get vegan-friendly ones when they need to be replaced. Others will sell their old gym shoes, and either give the money to an animal-friendly cause, or use the money to replace the old shoes with new vegan-friendly ones, or simply give them away, to stop someone from going out to buy a brand new pair. There are several options available to you, the choice is ultimately yours.

What companies make vegan athletic shoes?

There are 2 types of companies that make men's vegan athletic and sport shoes; companies whose main products are made using animal derived materials, by-products and/or testing, but their catalogue includes vegan shoes to broaden their marketing reach or for other business reasons. Then there are companies that exclusively make vegan athletic and sport shoes, for ethical, sustainability, business or other possible reasons. Some companies whose athletic shoes, gym shoes, training shoes, trail and walking shoes are entirely vegan include:

  • Newton
  • inov-8

How do you choose which companies to list?

We keep a list of companies that we find by way of social media, word of mouth, by old-fashioned Google searches and by other methods, whose entire catalogue of athletic shoes seems to be animal-friendly. We contact these companies to check that they don’t use any animal-derived materials or testing in the making of their products. If we’re convinced their items are suitable for vegans, and they’re listed on Amazon for your one-stop shopping convenience, then we display their shoes here.

Do you list vegan athletic shoes from non-vegan companies?

We think it’s great that more and more non-vegan companies are adding cruelty-free athletic, gym shoes, etc. and other items to their catalogues, whatever the reasoning behind it might be. However, when we contact some of these companies, we often have a hard time getting straight answers from them with regard to which of their products are 100% free of animal-derived materials and testing, and which aren’t. If we don’t have complete confidence in the ‘veganism’ of their products, we don’t list them; but if we do, we will.

Check out our similar product categories

We’ve got more helpful pages about vegan footwear, vegan accessories, and some other dandies:

For companies that make vegan athletic and gym shoes

If you or your employer makes vegan runners, trail runners, gym shoes, or any vegan product for that matter, we’d love to feature those products on our site... for free! Contact us at  - info(at)getitvegan(dot)com - to find out more!

Sources

Some of the information for this guide on men’s vegan athletic footwear was obtained from the following sources: