Shoes for People Allergic to 
Potassium Dichromate

  

If you are allergic to potassium dichromate (chrome), you have two options.  

1.

First, you can buy shoes that contain no leather.  Such shoes can be found in most shoe stores, and there are also many companies that specialize in making or selling non-leather shoes for vegetarians and vegans (to see a very long list of companies that make non-leather shoes, visit http://www.peta.org/living/alt4.asp ; there is also an interesting vegan shoe shopping blog at http://greatgreenshoes.com/).

2.

The second option is to buy leather shoes made of chrome-free leather.  These are more difficult to find.  The easiest method, it seems to me, is to look for shoe manufacturers that use vegetable-tanned leather.  However, it is important to remember that, just because a shoe is advertised as having a vegetable-tanned upper, it does not mean that vegetable-tanned leather is used throughout the shoe; its lining and insole, for example, may be made of another type of leather.  Make sure to check with the manufacturer before you buy.

     

WHAT'S ON THIS PAGE: Chrome-Free Shoes casual and athletic shoes dress shoes

   

The list of shoe companies below includes both manufacturers that use chrome-free leather and manufacturers that make vegan shoes.
	Add to the Lists: If you have a manufacturer you would like to add to this list, please email me!
	Submit a Shoe Review: If you'd like to submit a shoe review, please click here!  The purpose of these reviews is to help users of this website in their shoe-buying decisions.  Knowing that several other people allergic to potassium dichromate have bought shoes from a particular manufacturer and have not reacted to them (and vice versa!) is quite helpful when contemplating what shoes to buy.
	A Note of Caution: Please remember that I am not in constant contact with any of these shoe companies.  Therefore, the information I have received may become out of date, as shoe manufacturers can at any moment change their manufacturing procedures and their factories.  So, I would strongly encourage you to email a particular manufacturer before buying shoes from them; you could also email me to find out how current my information is.  Moreover, buy the shoes with a healthy dose of skepticism.  Wear them around the house for a few days to see if you begin to react; if you do, take them back and let me know. The asterisk (*) by the name of some of the companies indicates that information regarding this company has been provided to me by a reader of this website.  Many thanks to those who have been contacting shoe companies and forwarding me their replies.
	Where to Buy:  Click here to see a worldwide shopping guide for Chrome-Free shoes.  If you'd like to contribute, please email me!

   

 What the Icons Mean:

		This icon indicates that this shoe manufacturer has been reviewed by a user of the website.  Please click on the icon to see the review.  To submit your own review, click here.
		For those looking for shoes made of leather, this icon indicates that this manufacturer is committed to using only vegetable-tanned or chrome-free leather in their shoes.  For other manufacturers, it is a good idea to check with them before you buy to see whether *all* the leather in the shoes you are interested in is either vegetable-tanned or chrome-free (see my note above).
		If you happen to also be allergic to PTBP-FR, this icon indicates that the shoes made by that manufacturer are also PTBP-FR-free.

     

Casual Shoes

Altrescarpe	http://www.altrescarpe.it/ vegan and vegetable-tanned leather shoes, sandals and boots for men and women sold in Italy public commitment: their website says "La pelle che usiamo viene da allevamenti spagnoli; è lavata solo con zolfo e calcio, poi conciata con estratti di mimosa e lossoterigio."
Askin Shoes	http://www.askin.it/ shoes and sandals for men and women online store (based in Italy) public commitment: their website says that Askin Shoes are "the first non-allergic shoes, patented and studied to eliminate allergic contact dermatitis from shoes" and that their shoes do not use "any chemical components that have been identified as being responsible for ACD"
Bionat	http://www.bionat.fr/ shoes, sandals and boots for men, women and children sold in France online store (France) public commitment: their website says (in French) "Contrairement aux cuirs conventionnels, ils sont tannés sans chrome, sans métaux lourds."
Birkenstock	http://www.birkenstock.com/ vegan [NOTE: only part of their range is vegan] sandals for men and women sold worldwide
Birki's	http://www.birki.com vegan [NOTE: some styles contain leather] sandals and clogs for men, women and children sold worldwide
Crocs	http://www.crocs.com/ vegan [NOTE: some styles contain leather] shoes, sandals and boots for men, women and children sold worldwide
Ecolution	http://www.ecolution.com/ vegan (hemp) shoes and sandals for men, women and children sold at a number of online retailers
Freerangers	http://www.freerangers.co.uk/ vegan shoes and sandals for men and women online store (UK)
Green Shoes	http://www.greenshoes.co.uk/ vegan and chrome-free (the leather they use is called 'eco-tan') styles shoes, boots and sandals for men, women and children online store (UK)
Guat Shoes	http://www.guatshoes.co.uk/ vegetable-tanned leather and vegan shoes, sandals, and boots for men and women online ordering (UK)
Keen*	http://www.keenfootwear.com/ vegan [NOTE: only their styles which don't contain leather are chrome-free, as the leather they use is chrome-tanned; make sure to ask before you buy whether the style you are interested in contains leather or not] shoes and sandals for men, women and children sold in stores in United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and United Kingdom sold at a number of online retailers
Klogs USA	http://www.klogs.com/ vegan [NOTE: only part of their range is vegan] clogs for men and women sold in stores in the United States
La Sportiva	http://www.sportiva.com/ shoes and boots for men and women sold in stories in the United States, Canada and Mexico NOTE: only the following lines are potassium chromate free: running shoes, Trango series mountain boots, and all shoes marked "All Synthetic Leather" this information was provided to me by a reader of the website who contacted the manufacturer
Natural Step	http://www.naturalstepshoes.com/ shoes for men and women sold in the United States public commitment: their website states, 'We select the world’s finest, most pliable, vegetable-tanned, pebble grain and calf skin leathers for every hand-sewn moccasin we make ... Besides using the best leathers on the outside, our interiors are also fully lined with fine, naturally tanned leathers.'
No Sweat	http://www.nosweatapparel.com/ vegan shoes and sandals for men and women sold worldwide
Pikolinos	http://www.pikolinos.com/ vegetable-tanned leather NOTE: only their Cyclonatura line use chrome-free leathers (see this link for more information) public commitment: their website states, 'In 2012, Pikolinos launched its ‘Cyclonatura’ leather, which is 100% hypoallergenic, ecological and free from metals.' shoes and sandals for men and women  sold worldwide
Po-Zu	http://www.po-zu.com/ vegetable-tanned leather shoes, sandals and boots for men and women sold in stores in Europe public commitment: their website states that their leather is "Organically tanned with vegetable extracts from the bark of Mimosa and Quebracho trees"
Sas Shoemakers*	http://www.sasshoes.com/ chrome-free leather shoes for men and women sold in the United States
Splaff Flops	http://www.splaff.com vegan sandals for men and women online store (USA)
Thierry Rabotin*	http://www.thierryrabotin.com/ chrome-free leather shoes, sandals and boots for women sold worldwide
Think!	http://www.thinkshoes.com/ vegetable-tanned leather (NOTE: only some of their shoes contain only vegetable-tanned leather; a user of the website was told by a Think! representative that Think! shoes with a green stamp inside the shoes have vegetable-tanned uppers and linings, while those with a black stamp inside the shoes use vegetable-tanned leather only in the linings) shoes and sandals for men and women sold worldwide
Vegan Wares	http://www.veganwares.com/ vegan shoes, sandals and boots for men, women and children shop in Melbourne, Australia online ordering (Australia)
Vegetarian Shoes	http://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk vegan shoes, sandals and boots for men and women shop in Brighton, United Kingdom online ordering (UK)
Veja	http://www.veja.fr/ chrome-free leather shoes for men, women and children sold worldwide public commitment: their website says, "In Brazil, Veja has developed ecological leather. Ecological leather means chrome-free leather tanned with organic compounds only."

 

   

Dress Shoes

Altrescarpe	http://www.altrescarpe.it/ vegan and vegetable-tanned leather shoes, sandals and boots for men and women sold in Italy public commitment: their website says "La pelle che usiamo viene da allevamenti spagnoli; è lavata solo con zolfo e calcio, poi conciata con estratti di mimosa e lossoterigio."
Askin Shoes	http://www.askin.it/ shoes and sandals for men and women online store (based in Italy) public commitment: their website says that Askin Shoes are "the first non-allergic shoes, patented and studied to eliminate allergic contact dermatitis from shoes" and that their shoes do not use "any chemical components that have been identified as being responsible for ACD"
Beyond Skin	http://www.beyondskin.co.uk vegan shoes, sandals and boots for women and men sold in stores in London, New York, Dublin and Milano online store (UK)
Bionat	http://www.bionat.fr/ shoes, sandals and boots for men, women and children sold in France online store (France) public commitment: their website says (in French) "Tannage végétal naturel [...] c'est à dire sans métaux lourds : chrome, nickel, aluminium [...] Pas d'allergie au chrome"
La Bottega del Cuoio	http://www.labottegadelcuoio.com/ vegetable-tanned leather shoes and boots for men shop in Arezzo, Italy and mail order public commitment: their website says, "a special note to the leather we utilize: it's tanned with vegetables extracts, without any chemical substance detrimental to one's health, it's manually greased, that's why really waterproof, authenticated by the certificate of warranty "vera pelle italiana" vegetable tanned"
Charmone	http://www.charmoneshoes.com/ vegan women's dress shoes sold at a number of stores in North America (Alabama, Alberta, California, Colorado, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina)
Form & Fauna	http://formandfauna.com/ vegan shoes and boots for women sold at stores in California, Oregon, New York, Nevada and Washington
Freerangers	http://www.freerangers.co.uk/ vegan shoes and sandals for men and women online store (UK)
G. B. Bertollo	http://www.scarpesumisura.com/ vegetable-tanned leather NOTE: these shoes are 'made to measure' and you need to specially request the use of vegetable-tanned leather shoes and boots for men and women store and workshop in Italy
Green Shoes	http://www.greenshoes.co.uk/ vegan and chrome-free (the leather they use is called 'eco-tan') styles shoes, boots and sandals for men, women and children online store (UK)
Guat Shoes	http://www.guatshoes.co.uk/ vegetable-tanned leather and vegan shoes, sandals, and boots for men and women online ordering (UK)
James Taylor	http://www.taylormadeshoes.co.uk/ chrome-free leather NOTE: shoes made with chrome-free leather need to be specially ordered (bespoke) shoes and boots for men and women store in London, UK
Mink	http://www.minkshoes.com vegan dress shoes and sandals for women online store (US)
Natural Step	http://www.naturalstepshoes.com/ shoes for men and women sold in the United States public commitment: their website states, 'We select the world’s finest, most pliable, vegetable-tanned, pebble grain and calf skin leathers for every hand-sewn moccasin we make ... Besides using the best leathers on the outside, our interiors are also fully lined with fine, naturally tanned leathers.'
Novacas	http://www.novacas.com vegan sandals, boots and shoes for men and women sold in stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom
Pikolinos	http://www.pikolinos.com/ vegetable-tanned leather NOTE: only their Cyclonatura line use chrome-free leathers (see this link for more information) public commitment: their website states, 'In 2012, Pikolinos launched its ‘Cyclonatura’ leather, which is 100% hypoallergenic, ecological and free from metals.' shoes and sandals for men and women  sold worldwide
Saint Crispin's	http://www.saint-crispins.com/ vegetable-tanned and chrome-free leather [NOTE: only some of their styles contain only vegetable-tanned or chrome-free leather] shoes for men sold in stores in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Japan can also be custom-made
Thierry Rabotin*	http://www.thierryrabotin.com/ chrome-free leather shoes, sandals and boots for women sold worldwide
Think!	http://www.thinkshoes.com/ vegetable-tanned leather (NOTE: only some of their shoes contain only vegetable-tanned leather; a user of the website was told by a Think! representative that Think! shoes with a green stamp inside the shoes have vegetable-tanned uppers and linings, while those with a black stamp inside the shoes use vegetable-tanned leather only in the linings) shoes and sandals for men and women sold worldwide
Trippen	http://www.trippen.com vegetable-tanned leather [NOTE: only some of their styles are made solely with vegetable-tanned leather] shoes, sandals and boots for men, women and children sold worldwide online store (Germany)
Vegan Wares	http://www.veganwares.com/ vegan shoes, sandals and boots for men, women and children shop in Melbourne, Australia online ordering (Australia)
Vegetarian Shoes	http://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk vegan shoes, sandals and boots for men and women shop in Brighton, United Kingdom online ordering (UK)