Watch 101: 3 Solid Vegan “Leather” Strap Options

Article By: Logan Hannen

What is up, watchfam?! Today, we’re going to take a look at some solid vegan “leather” strap options for those of us that prefer to avoid animal products in our lives.

Now full disclosure: I have not had the chance to try any of these examples myself. I’d love to, and I plan to, but I just haven’t yet. That being said, two of the three brands are brands I own traditional leather straps from, so I can attest to the brand’s quality on the whole in those cases.

Before we hit the list, we need to establish what exactly a “vegan” leather strap is. If you’re familiar with the idea of veganism, then you’ll no doubt be aware that the main crux of this lifestyle is the total removal of animal-based products from your life down the line. This, naturally, comes down to leather goods as well. Many brands, as such, have taken it upon themselves to begin developing vegan friendly versions of their existing products. Take Dr. Martens, my favorite bootmakers and a brand notorious for being a bit ahead of the curve. They’ve got an entire line of vegan footwear on their site that, from what I can glean from the reviews, is pretty on point.

Alright, enough chatter, let’s get into the list:

#1 – Colareb

Vegan Suede Straps
Source: Colareb

Colareb is a brand that is known to a ton of watch geeks, and for good reason – they offer some really well made leather straps at a really solid price point, and have some really unique colorways to go with it that help set them apart. Even within Colareb’s own vegan line, they technically are the purveyors of 3 different subsets of vegan straps. The first, a more standard “leather” style, is made from the same version of a microfiber material as the vegan “suede” straps are. The most interesting, in my opinion, has got to be the wood fiber straps. They’ve got an innovative, unique look about them with a sort of pebble grain, if you can call it that. It’s hard to describe, so definitely give them a look on your own.

#2 – Votch

Votch Black Strap w/ Brushed Silver Buckle
Source: Votch

Now here we have the brand I know very little about and have never experienced firsthand. The reason for this, though, is the fact that the brand produces none of its goods at all using animal products. The brand is, from what I can gather, positioned as a vegan and eco-friendly version of Daniel Wellington, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Seeing as they sell the straps separately from the watches, it gives people an opportunity to support a young brand with a mission, and to try out some vegan leather options in the meantime. The Votch straps are made of the same microfiber material that can be found in the Colareb options as well.

#3 – Hadley Roma Lorica

Hadley Roma Lorica Strap in Orange
Source: Esslinger & Co.

Hadley Roma is, by far, one of the most well known strap manufacturers in the game right now. They produce everything from silicone straps, to inexpensive leather ones that, admittedly, may not contain much leather, all the way up to much more expensive offerings. The Lorica strap can be had typically in the $20-$30 range depending on the retailer, and is the first new material on this list that doesn’t strictly consist of microfiber and some other compound. Lorica, from what I can gather, is a highly unique composition of materials that make it not just vegan, but highly water resistant as well. The primary thing of note here is that its main note of individuality is the fact that it is manufactured by an Italian company exclusively, and only products manufactured by that company can use the Lorica name.

Alright geeks, so even if I didn’t convince you to give one of these a shot, I hope that you at least found it a bit interesting to take a look at some of the other strap options that are out there for you to explore one day, should you ever desire to be animal free in your efforts to keep it classy, watchfam.

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