The Fallen Patriot II Black-Ops is available yet again in a Vegan colorway. Black synthetic nubuck upper, black cup sole, black laces, black…Notice a theme? The Black-ops line is dark as night and has historically leaned on the Vegan side of things.
The Patriot II is one of Fallen’s higher cut models. Not a mid-top by any means but the collar gives a little more ankle protection and tongue has so good padding too. This is the kind of shoe you can skate every season and order an extra pair just in case they stopped making them.
Sort of a mixed bag in sizes, hope you don’t wear 6.5.
SkateWarehouse sizes 7.5-11 $59.99
FreeStyle Shop sizes 5-9.5 (no 6.5) $63.95
Zappos sizes 6-9 (no 6.5)$60.00
I see this more and more on the blog, vegan skaters want synthetic nubuck and synthetic leather on their shoes. If this is something you want, get a pair and or send positive feedback to the companies making the product. Here is Fallen (Black Box) contact page.
I am considering buying these as I do not care for my Duffs (they just don’t skate well for me).
Possibly my favorite skate shoe of all time, which doesn’t really say much because I haven’t really payed much attention to skate shoes until recently (most were hand-me-downs). This shoe is dark, and if that’s your thing (as it is mine), then I highly recommend these kicks. I have had the same pair for over 7 months of heavy skating, and they still have some life left in them – granted I do drown the bottoms in Shoo Goo (which probably isn’t vegan, but it was free). Then again, I am poor, skate mostly ramps, and am a filmer so I’m constantly dragging my foot on the ground to adjust my speed. These shoes are quite stiff at first, but if you can, I recommend ordering a pair quite some time in advance and wearing them as a casual shoe (no skating) wherever you go to soften them up before you skate them. The soles will last a while and have nice, deep treads. They also haven’t Fallen off at all (a big problem with other vegan footwear). The ollie area does wear off somewhat fast, but definitely not as fast as the other vegan shoes I’ve tried. The material that shows underneath the black layer is as white as bone, but you can always get some black Shoo Goo or a marker. I have two back-up pairs of these, and the laces seem a little short on one pair, while that pair also feels slightly smaller than the other (although they are the same size). My main problem with the shoe is the ripped laces – which will happen quickly. If only they had some sort of protection. The blackness also turns very, very, very slightly brown, but being out in the elements can also be a factor with that. I also ended up adding extra insoles after a few months of skating. On a scale of one to ten (ten being best), I give these a 7.5.