Sanita Campbell: Vegan Work Clog

I came to this relationship with baggage of an intriguing, medico-latinish nature: plantar fasciitis, which is, for you unfamiliar with the condition, the inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot (the plantar fascia) that connects the heel bone to the toes and creates the arch of the foot. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the thick band of tissue on the bottom of the foot is overstretched or overused, making walking more painful and difficult.

In my case, when PF flared up, it felt like someone was sticking a hot poker in the arches of both of my feet. With my ticket to Hell secured a long time ago, I imagined that there were already plans in the works to assure that I spend eternity marinating in something along those lines, so I committed myself to spending the rest of my time on earth with substantially less suffering, particularly for an activity as mundane as walking.

A friend who is troubled by the same condition implored me to get on a steady footwear diet of clogs post-haste; I willingly caved. The only thing that’s been notably taxed since has been the rotation of my vintage Chanel heels and CFM pumps.

These highly functional orthopedic wonders are the footwear equivalent of the military’s famed “birth control” eyeglass frames: hot in a relatively small, industry-specific subculture, but a questionable fashion choice anywhere outside the city limits.

I like to think of them as a way to get rid of the riff-raff.

My first deliverance had come in the shape of a pair of leather Mary-Jane styled Danskos; my salesperson at Clogs ‘N More coached me into a similarly-styled pair of Sanitas with vegan uppers. Vegan was not specifically in my value set (and apologies for the animal fat that has sullied their compassionate finish) but I figured I was gonna wear ‘em hard no matter what material they were made of, so I saddled up those workhorses and rode.

Thus far? Many shambled miles in said shoes and still rocking on all counts – step in comfort and no break in time. And is it me or are they less smelly as well? Possibly just the operator being a touch more hygienic, but I am down with giving props to the non-critter materials having less in the way of, well, potential smell of degrading critter to them.

There is a bit of stretch to the upper, though less so than leather. Mightily marched, slightly scuffed, and readily relied upon. Part of the future mileage on this pair is committed to getting back in line for my next pair.

Bonus points:

• You don’t pay more for being ethical: vegan uppers are frequently 20-30 bucks more expensive than their leather counterparts but not so with Sanita: the black version of the vegan Campbell and leather Professionals both retail at $120.

• If you’re open to leather uppers, your color and pattern options broaden substantially (check out that spectrum of clogaliciousness pictured above), with retail pricing from $120 to $140

• Good shoes are expensive (and so worth it), but there are benefits to being in the know: Clogs ‘N More have partnered with poachedjobs.com to offer a 10% discount to food service industry folks – just flash your OLCC card or food server’s permit to get in on the deal.