Footwear Insight

For footwear that is free of animal materials and products, do you believe that the fit, quality and durability are the same as those made with animal materials? Yes No "Although I prefer not to purchase leather, I have never had a pair of man-made shoes last as long as leather shoes." Female, 34 "Animal-free does not mean that it is not as durable as a product that is not. It could, in fact, be more durable than a shoe that is not animal-free." Female, 38 "Man-made synthetic materials have been proven to be of high quality and durability." Male / 52 "Personally, I am a big fan of leather shoe products. I find they tend to wear better and last longer over time compared to a synthetic product. The overall look of a pair of worn leather shoes is still often appealing and the same cannot be said for synthetics." Female / 37 All things being equal, would you pay more for footwear that is free from animal materials and products? Yes No See the complete list of consumer comments at trendinsightmag.com POWERED BY www.mesh01.com TRENDINSIGHT We surveyed 184 consumers. Here is what they told us. "No animal products are used in the product or manufacture process." Female / 34 "In no step of the production process (R&D, manufacturing, etc.) have animals been involved. All materials are synthetic or natural fibers chosen and harvested so that they do not take away from the animals'/insects' natural environment. I believe it is a statement that people are trying to convey about their views of the world. It is a positive statement for sure." Male / 34 "Nothing in terms of footwear. I'll buy a quality shoe and won't look at the fine print of 'vegan friendly.'" Female / 44 "Vegan friendly means that the people who made the product support the vegan lifestyle as well as other healthy lifestyles." Female / 32 "Footwear that contains no products that have been derived from any living creature up to and including dyes and that the materials have had no type of animal testing performed up to and including dyes and other chemicals." Female / 37 "It sounds like a marketing gimmick." Male / 32 "This would mean that it does not have any animal products in it. To me this would mean the company is marketing more toward vegans." Female / 37 It means that it will simply have a higher price point." Male / 36 "Earth friendly." Female / 34 "Free from any animal fur, skin, testing. No leather." Female / 28 "Vegan is a food thing. This makes no sense to me as someone skeptical of many vegan claims. I guess I kind of understand what is meant by it, but I'd immediately write the brand off as being too weird for me." Male / 30 "Sandals, cheaply made shoes, not durable." Male / 27 "Vegan-friendly footwear means that the materials used to make the products, at no point in production, included animal-derived products and did not require animal testing." Female /34 "I think it's nonsense. If something is made from man-made materials, I would expect it to be free of animal materials and product. It is just like fruit being labeled gluten free." Female / 52 "I would assume it is made in a way that complies with vegan standards." Female / 44 "Weird but cool." Male / 32 Have you seen animal-free shoes promoted in stores? When shopping for footwear, how strongly do you feel that the shoes you purchase be free of animal materials and products? Yes No Very important Somewhat important Not at all important "I have never even heard of an animal-free shoe." Female / 45 "I don't find this to be as common an advertisement in big-box stores, but in the more specialty shoes stores, I have seen this a number of times. I also found this type of advertising more popular when I was traveling in Canada and in major U.S. cities." Female / 37 "I did recently get an email promoting vegan shoes, but I haven't seen any in stores." Female / 44 82% 69% 31% 52% 48% 40% 37% 23% 18% What does the term "vegan-friendly" mean to you in terms of footwear? 32 • Footwear Insight ~ March/April 2019 footwearinsight.com

• Cover