Putting Our Best Foot Forward
If there is one thing that unites us Oafs it is our unhealthy obsession with shoes and one of the proudest moments of 2024 for us is the development of our very own footwear collections. Being new to the shoe game it has been an education and not without its challenges along the way. We committed from the outset that we would design and make the best quality shoes we can, with the nicest suppliers we could find and make it Vegan, but y’know not cheap plastic!
1. Material Magic
Vegan leather comes in all shapes and forms—pineapple fibers, mushrooms, recycled plastic, you name it. But not all of them behave like traditional leather, and trust us, we’ve tested them all. After months (and months) of trial and error, we landed on something we’re truly proud of.
Take our Red Stitches Lace-Up Boot and Red Moody Zip-Up Boot: they’re made from a deep red vegan leather that ages and creases just like the real deal. Over time, they’ll wear into something even better, revealing more colour, meaning each style will be unique to you.
In fact all the vegan leather used across our collections has been developed to mimic the most desirable attributes of leather itself within each style.
2. Built to Last (and to Love)
We wanted our vegan materials to do more than just look good. Portugal is known for its top-tier shoemaking and we work with an amazing team of artisans who hand-finish every pair in a small family-run factory.
Our styles have to be tough enough to handle everything from rainy dog walks to long days on your feet—all while staying comfy. Every pair has been tested in all sorts of weather to make sure they can keep up with whatever life throws at you.
3. A Sprinkle of Oaf
Every pair of shoes we make has that unmistakable Oaf energy. From the Happy Sad coin pull to laser-engraved details and our custom sole design, we’ve made sure these are distinctly Oaf. We’ve also paid particular attention to styles that will work hard within your wardrobe and show different ways to styles and customise on our social channels.
4. Doing Good (and Getting Better)
That’s why we teamed up with Bernardo, whose family-run factory traditionally worked with leather. Like us, he’s vegan so his passion for the project matches our own. Bernados long experience with footwear and our joint commitment (and excitement) in discovering new and innovative techniques to lower our carbon footprint has made this a real passion project for all of us here at Oaf.
We can’t wait to see how you lot wear them, so make sure to tag us in your Lazy looks!
