Lauren, known to most as “Lolo”, spills on fond shoe memories, Sweat Records, and schools us on vegan footwear.

ShoeGazr: All right–let’s talk about the 90s. Of shoes you’ve owned, what was the first pair you remember being passionate about?

Lolo: In middle school I drove my dad crazy until we found a pair of Airwalk Jim 3-Ds. They were vinyl sneakers that looked black but in the sunlight had a rainbow of holographic glitter in them. I wore them until they fell apart.

ShoeGazr: Reminds me of my No Fear shirts (minus rainbow glitter). Describe the craziest pair of shoes you’ve ever owned.

Lolo: I’ve got a pair of shiny red knee-high mod boots from the Earth company that always turn heads – their current styles are sort of boring, they need to start making vegan shoes that are cute again!

ShoeGazr: Right on. You started Sweat Records in 2005. Did you ever think it would come this far?

Lolo: I knew we’d be around for a while but couldn’t have imagined all the things that have happened to us this far. It’s been a roller coaster but definitely a fun ride overall. My main goal for Sweat is to be around forever.

ShoeGazr: We understand that you are a vegetarian. Tell us a little about why and the causes you’re behind.

Lolo: I stopped eating meat when I was 12 mainly due to environmental concerns, and stopped buying leather probably 8 years ago. Things might’ve been different for previous generations, but today the way that we humans “use” animals for food, apparel, cosmetic testing and so forth is more cruel than ever due to corporate factory farming, and needless due to emerging alternatives. I just don’t think that creatures should suffer and die because of my appetite or fashion sense . True, you’ve got to look a bit sometimes to find cute non-leather shoes but I’ve still found a ton, there are more options popping up every day, and it’s been a blessing in disguise as I can only imagine how many pairs of shoes I’d have if just bought whatever I liked without thinking of where it came from. It’s all about compassionate consumption.

ShoeGazr: We applaud your compassion! Any tips for those looking to buy leather-free shoes?

Lolo: Yes! When you go shopping what your looking for are shoes that say “All Man Made Material” so check the inside of the heel area as it will usually say. Look closely because some synthetic leathers are so great that you might think a shoe is leather when it isn’t… I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been surprised and said “Wow, these are vegan!” A great tool online is to search the big shoe sites for keywords like “synthetic”, “man-made” and so on – I’ve found that zappos.com and endless.com have vegetarian sections but only a fraction of the shoes that are actually leather-free are listed so dig deeper. There are also several stores/sites that cater completely to animal-free shoes including mooshoes.com, veganchic.com, veganessentials.com, and ragazzivegan.com. Also, if you need any help with motivation to quit leather, I highly recommend the film Earthlings. It’s narrated by Joaquin Phoenix and just shows straightforward footage of the real, everyday practices behind the leather industry. You can watch the whole thing for free on YouTube.

ShoeGazr: I think we’ll just stay clear of the leather… If you could own any pair of shoes, what would they be?

Lolo: I love some of the Natalie Portman-designed Te Casan pumps but they’re a bit out of my small-business-owner price range, and if Louboutin did some sexy vegan heels I would surely covet those… I also love the United Nude mono series made of molded EVA.

ShoeGazr: Now we’re talking. Let’s keep it weird – gaudiest/grossest/tawdriest shoes you’ve ever laid eyes on?

Lolo: Pointy-toed leather boots with fur trim and pom poms are pretty darn hideous. How many different animals do you need to wear on your feet, really? I also can’t fathom why girls wear Uggs in the Miami heat…

ShoeGazr: *slowly slides Uggs out of view…* Sweat has the Miami indie scene on lockdown – envisioning any great new conquests? Cross-enterprise collaborations? Hipster honeypots?

Lolo: We’re always working on new projects. We just released the first in a line of t-shirts featuring the image of Iggy Pop from the mural outside our store, and Iggy himself was the guest of honor at the release party for them! Besides that we’re just starting to fill up our calendar with an array of great events and in-stores for the fall so check the Sweat Records website SweatRecordsMiami.com to stay in the know…

ShoeGazr: That we will, Lolo. Keep Miami humble for us!