Kat Mendenhall is Likely a Vegan Brand

Kat Mendenhall Brand Highlights

Founded in June of 2015 and based in the heart of 'cattle country,' Dallas, Texas, vegan activist Kat Mendenhall has gone against the grain (pun intended) to make high-end beautiful cowboy/western boots that replace the use of animals without sacrificing quality.

About Kat Mendenhall

"Our handcrafted vegan cowboy boots for men and women are begging to be to put to work on the ranch or on the town. Each boot is hand lasted and stitched one-by-one per order by a skilled boot maker. Our boots are made with a proprietary micro fiber construction that offers a high level of performance. They will maintain their looks for years with minimum upkeep." - Kat Mendenhall team

Is Kat Mendenhall an ethically vegan brand?

Kat Mendenhall appears to be ethically vegan brand. Their founder, Kat Mendenhall, is a master vegan lifestyle coach and educator certified by Main Street Vegan Academy, as well as a passionate animal advocate who "decided to ditch animal leather when she learned cows are raised solely for their skins, which are preserved in toxic chemicals exposing workers to diseases and creating environmental issues by leaching toxins into local water supplies."

What materials are used to make Kat Mendenhall boots?

According to their website, Kat Mendenhall boots are made from a patent microfiber material which is designed to have a leather grain look and a natural appearance. This material is a specifically engineered nylon or a polyester fiber matrix. The natural grain look is manufactured in the US and is not a PVC product. The material contains no plasticizers or off gassing.

Are Kat Mendenhall boots eco-friendly/sustainable?

From an environmentally-friendly materials standpoint, it's difficult to accurately assess how sustainable Kat Mendenhall boots are. Although it's worth noting that their materials are man-made synthetics, and not natural, or recycled. However, these synthetics are widely considered more environmentally-friendly than their animal-derived leather counterparts - a claim that's backed up by data from inside the fashion industry as well as outside (for the data, please see Collective Fashion Justice’s CIRCUMFAUNA initiative). It's also worth noting that Kat Mendenhall makes their shoes on a pre-order basis only, and sends left-over materials back to the supplier, both of which are great efforts towards reducing production-derived waste. From a carbon footprint, water usage, chemical usage, and general natural resource usage standpoint, it's difficult to asses the impact that Kat Mendenhall has, and what they do to remediate it. Kat Mendenhall does not currently provide data as to their environmental impact or remediation efforts, so it's difficult to accurately asses them in either of these regards.

Does Kat Mendenhall use green shipping methods?

It's unclear from their website if Kat Mendenhall uses net-zero or negative emissions shipping partners, either domestically or internationally. We’ve asked them for clarification, and they had no details to provide.

Does Kat Mendenhall use eco-friendly packaging?

Kat Mendenhall told us that, "our boxes we ship the boots in are 100% recyclable."

How should I dispose of my worn out Kat Mendenhall boots?

We’ve asked the Kat Mendenhall team if they currently have, or are developing, a boot recycling program, and they told us that, "a customer can return their boots to us to be broken down in order to recycle the material or any compost."

Where can I buy Kat Mendenhall vegan western boots?

Kat Mendenhall boots can only be purchased from their website, or from their social channels. Their boots are available by per-order only, and they do not keep stock.

Are Kat Mendenhall 'cowboy' boots customizable?

Yes! Kat Mendenhall boots can be custom designed - customers can choose the style, stitch pattern, material and stitch colour, heel height and toe shape.

Do Kat Mendenhall boots ever go on sale?

You may notice some items on the Kat Mendenhall website that are on sale at a discount of roughly 33% - these are “ready to ship” one-offs; boots that were made for either photos, or were returns due to sizing issues. They do not offer sales on new orders.

Are Kat Mendenhall boots ethically made?

Yes! Kat Mendenhall boots are made in Texas, USA, which means their labourers are protected by the labour laws of the United States, which also include strong health and safety regulations.

Does Kat Mendenhall promote ‘slow fashion’ or a ‘circular economy’?

Kat Mendenhall appears to incorporate many elements of a circular economy, such as: using high-quality materials; sourcing their materials close to production; making a limited amount of boots; making their boots by pre-order only; sending excess materials back to the supplier; taking back old pairs to be recycled; making timeless styles; making their products by hand; and employing fair labour.

Is Kat Mendenhall a charitable company?

We’ve asked the Kat Mendenhall team about any charitable initiatives they're involved with (if any), and they told us that "all our profits go to various local rescue groups in the Dallas area."

Kat Mendenhall Product Range

Kat Mendenhall currently makes many different styles of men's and women's vegan western/cowboy boots at a luxury price point. They offer the ability to select different heel heights for some models at checkout, with additional customizations, such as embroidery, cut-outs, inlays, or adding a steel toe, available by custom quote. Their boots come in a wide variety of traditional and exotic styles and textures, such as vegan ostrich leather, or vegan beaver suede, and come as booties or in mid-calf height, depending on the model.