While vegan Mike V shoes on Cariuma may soon be a thing of the past ... just like true skater-owned skate shoes companies ... you can still get the vegan colourways of the Mike Vallely shoe and you may be able to find them on sale.
Some impressions:
I haven't skated them but these may just be the best skate shoes ever (?).
- The vegan suede feels nice, not important, but nice.
- So does the rubber cap around the toes. It's natural rubber.
- So does the textile mid-section of the shoes, which is recycled fabric of an undisclosed nature.
- Even the laces feel nice.
- The top of the heel area is surprisingly soft. This might be a good thing for your Achilles heel tendons, especially if they are sore.
- They fit "true to size" in the sense that they fit the same as Etnies, éS (not the Caspian), Emerica, Vans. At least that's my impression. If there is a difference, it's very small. See below.
- The soles are grippy.
- I'll tell you more once I've skated them - which might not be soon because I've got a small stack of shoes.
The colourway I got is called camel.
Comparison of éS (Accel Slim) and Cariuma (Vallely) insoles:
