Commenting to check back later. My guess is that it’s a “pick two” situation between high-quality, ethical, and cheap.
this post was submitted on 01 Apr 2025
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Not sure about their manufacturing sources, so I can't speak about "child slaves".
Etnes, but they might be a bit on the pricier side. I can ususally find something that looks decent and fits my feet for around 70$ US if I keep an eye out on the "Sales" page.
I've had three pairs in something close to 10 years so they're pretty long lasting. A few of the styles are "Vegan" friendly.
One note, you'll need to choose a size that is ONE FULL SIZE LARGER than what you normally wear. If you wear a US size 8, you will need to look for size 9.
Is this a riddle?
If the sneakers are made in Vietnam the working conditions are usually okay.
I think Luna Ooi has done some videos. Vietnam has a lot of garment factories including shoes. They are often conflated with so called “sweat shops”, but the pay, hours, safety condition, age requirements etc are better. Sometimes not to western standards but improving. Frequently unionised in large ones.
There’s still some shops with shitty conditions this is often smaller scale petit bourgeois family operations.
NOT made by child slaves
Nothing is inexpensive, fashionable and free of the garment industry’s ills.
Cheap stuff is cheap because it is made thousands at a time by people paid nothing and shipped as low weight/value containers on giant cargo ships leaking bunker fuel into the ocean as they go.
If cheap and fashionable are most important, get a secondhand pair of shoes and put in new insoles. If it’s fashionable and good you want there’s a bunch of brands targeted at avoiding the particular ill you see in the world. If it’s cheap and good, hippies will tell you who the real criminals are.
The least bad sneaker brand I can think of is Veja. Generally you don’t want to cheap out on sneakers since you want them to last a good couple years.
As a rule with sneakers: you want something that’s minimalist and white as it’s the most versatile. The trick is to find reasonably priced versions of common projects achilles low. They’re an expensive rip-off, but that’s generally the style you want. But the beauty of white minimalist sneakers is that they’re unisex and go with so many things. Get them in canvas if you’re vegan. Unfortunately, vegan leather is nowhere near good enough to replace real leather, as it’s just shoddy plastic.
Counterpoint. White sneakers get dirty immediately.
Leather is a bit easier to keep clean IMO. Brush/wipe them off and put shoe trees in them at the end of the day. Takes 1-2 minutes.
White is harder to keep looking nice, but a small amount of upkeep each day keeps them looking sharp.
I saw you wanted to post a link but then removed it after you got a tracker warning. In case you couldn't figure out how to remove the tracking, I've removed all tracking from the URL: https://www.mrporter.com/en-us/mens/product/common-projects/shoes/low-top-sneakers/original-achilles-leather-sneakers/3024088872901549
Thanks, comrade 
IDK about any of those other things, but if you want wide toe Altra shoes are my go to.
I've loved the last 4 gens of Paradigms, but the current gen 7s are garbage so don't buy them. They only last me 8 months to a year but I also walk a lot so I get my moneys worth. They make other shoes that maybe look good but IDGAF I want comfy.
I usually check out thrift stores (especially the ones around the rich towns) for shoes
A lot of times you'll find decent stuff and since it's secondhand, it can be pretty unique
Found some decent chuck taylor's just last week
A little scuffed on the soles but otherwise immaculate
Converse is owned by Nike, they were known to be profiting off child labor up until the 90s, so I assume they're secretly still doing that.
I found some beat to shit $800 Aldens at Goodwill one time for like $10 but they were just too small to even have a shot of fitting. I put a bunch of time and effort into restoring them anyway and ended up giving them to my brother in law who never wore them. I'll go to my grave mad about that one.
Can second on thrift stores. If you’re vegan and don’t want any plastic slop, your best bet is looking for second-hand leather products in rich people parts, something I did in college.
The only problem is that if you’re in middle America, you’re probably well-aware that the rich dress like crap here. But don’t let this discourage you, as I got a really nice peacoat and even a Gucci tie from just checking out what’s in the store every now and then. If nothing else, go see if anyone’s dropped off some good books.
I can recommend Novesta (here), from Slovakia. They often have sales and if you are not located in the EU you might find a vendor of the brand in your area in order to save on shipping. I do find the sizing to be a bit on the large size, I usually wear EU 44/45 and have a pair in size 45 that is slightly larger than comfortable.
Durable and cheap isn't really an option. Sometimes the Vimes Boots Theory of Economics is very literal.
Idk if they're ethical (no) but Adidas sambas are durable and they make a vegan version
Edit: just go thrift something decent or buy used on eBay
I have horrible feet and gait but have been incredibly happy with Hoka. Actually, my current pair doesn't even require me to use orthotic inserts like I usually do. They also offer wide sizes. Not sure about the child labor though
I'm wearing motorcycle shoes, specifically a pair of Icons. I figure anything with a ce protection rating is gonna be more durable than average, and this has mostly borne out in my experience.
I don't know where they're made though so I assume something bad.