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Even though I’m completely obsessed with eating delicious vegan chow, living a vegan lifestyle goes beyond just food. It extends into many other areas of life.

As articulated by the Vegan Society (founded by Donald Watson who coined the term ‘vegan’ in England in 1944), its definition is this:

Veganism denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude – as far as is possible and practical – all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals, and the environment.

I really like this definition – how it shows benefit to animals, people, and our world – and especially the “as far as is possible and practical” part – not because I’m lax in my veganism, but because it implies that it’s not about being perfect.

For me, the point of being vegan isn’t being 100% pure of animal ingredients. It’s reducing the most amount of animal suffering that I possibly can.

And I can accomplish that in what I eat … and also in my fashion statements!

These days it’s not hard to find stylish non-leather accessories and shoes. (Why don’t vegans wear leather? Reasons include the massive amounts of energy and toxins used that damage our environment, and of course animals – click here to find out more.)

From affordable to high fashion, there’s a vegan shoe, belt, purse, etc. out there for all tastes.

Many shoes at places like Target and Payless are made of “all man made materials,” which indicates there’s no leather used (check the box or the inside of the shoe to look for this phrase). Then, there are vegan specific shoe stores online, which I like to support.

Here I share a few of the shoes and bags I have that are vegan and express my personal style!

These non-leather wedges are from Vegan Chic (veganchic.com). They make me “pretend tall.”

I adore my Susan Nichole “LOVE” bag that I got as a gift from my mom! (susannichole.com) I get compliments on it everywhere I go.

Hear I am kicking back on a road trip in my favorite summer sandals from Moo Shoes (mooshoes.com) in NYC.

These Madden Girl sandals may look like leather, but they’re “all man made materials!”

These wallets double as clutches for evening. The one on the left is Matt & Nat (mattandnat.com), given to me by my super fashion savvy soon-to-be-sis-in-law. The houndstooth one on the right is from Target!

These cute heels are made by UK-based Beyond Skin (beyondskin.co.uk), and I picked them up at Moo Shoes in NYC. I’ve had them for four years and they’re still in great shape. Plus, they’re fun to dance in!

These Brooks running shoes (brooksrunning.com) are cute (pink!), leather free, lightweight, and perfect for my workouts and walking my dog!

This is my coral-colored, over-the-shoulder bag I wore all over Italy. From Target, it’s cute, versatile, and non-leather!

These white wedges from Vegan Chic are comfortable and go perfectly with summer outfits.

Super cute lime bag with hot pink lining from Matt & Nat (mattandnat.com). I scored this one on Ebay!

So, as you can see, you can totally rock your style as a vegan. Let me know if you find vegan brands and products you just love in the comments below!

Happy shopping!

Sarah