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Are you looking for wool shoes? Then, you’re in the right place. We’ve selected the best sustainable shoes created from responsibly sourced wool.
Wool has grown in popularity in recent years in the sustainable shoe market, and for a good reason.
Wool is a natural, renewable material; it’s biodegradable and therefore more environmentally friendly, favored over non-biodegradable and synthetic materials like polyester or Polyurethane, which is regularly sound in footwear.
Benefits of Wool Shoes?
Some great benefits of wool make it an ideal material for footwear:
- Naturally breathable
- Thermoregulating – wool will keep you warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot.
- Moisture-wicking – Wool naturally wicks away moisture to prevent sweaty feet
- Naturally antibacterial and odor resistant – great for smelly feet
- Soft and cushioning – you can wear wool shoes without socks
What is ethical wool?
It’s important that when looking for wool shoes, you ensure the wool has been responsibly sourced and, if it’s Merino wool – is mulesing-free, which means sheep or lambs haven’t been mutilated. You can read more about what mulesing-free wool is here.
When looking for ethical wool, look out for wool certifications such as ZQ certified and Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) certifications.
Are wool shoes itchy?
Although you might think wool shoes aren’t itchy, the shoes we’ve recommended are created with the Merino Wool, a super fine and soft wool fiber that doesn’t rub or scratch.
Are wool shoes vegan?
No, wool shoes aren’t vegan. Although wool can be sourced responsibly and cruelty-free, animals are always involved.
The Ultimate Guide to Wool Shoes
1. Allbirds Wool Runners
Materials: ZQ merino wool uppers, carbon-negative EVA sole
Best For: Casual wool shoes, Merino wool sneakers
Price: $110
Allbirds is a sustainable shoe brand unlocking the fantastic benefits of merino wool footwear.
Allbirds creates its wool shoes using ethical merino wool, a naturally breathable, water-resistant, and thermoregulating material that will keep your feet warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot.
Allbirds Wool Runners feature Allbirds signature ultra-comfortable and carbon-negative sugarcane EVA sole.
We’ve personally tested Allbirds shoes (both the Dasher and Pipers) and found the sneakers comfortable and well made, with very little sole wear even after a year of wearing them almost every day. Our experience is echoed by thousands of customer reviews, with the Wool Runner scoring an average of 4.6/5 stars with over two thousand reviews.
| Allbirds Pros | Allbirds Cons |
| ✔ Comfortable and great reviews | ❌ Not fully waterproof |
| ✔ High quality and long-lasting | ❌ Not available in half sizes |
| ✔ Great choice of colors | ❌ Shoes run slightly small in size |
| ✔ Sustainable materials, ethical production and responsible wool | |
| ✔ Certified B Corp |
2. Baabuk Urban Wooler
Materials: 100% mulesing-free sheep wool, soft Merino inner lining, durable TPU sole.
Best For: Wool sneakers, wool high-tops, wool slip-on
Price: € 115.00
The Baabuk Urban Wooler is an excellent option if you’re looking for wool sneakers you can wear every day, as the shoe has a sleek style, removable insoles, and come in a range of neutral and vibrant colors.
The Baabuk Woolers are created from felted wool, making a strong and fluffy fabric that doesn’t fray.
The brand is a certified B Corp, meaning it prioritizes people and the environment over profits and uses sustainable materials and practices. For example, Baabuk chooses to only create its shoes ethically and sustainably in Europe from non-mulesed sheep.
Ecothes Reviewed: “I’ve tested a pair of Baabuk shoes (pictured) – and can reccomend the brand. The shoes are well made and the wool is soft, overall 5/5 stars.” – Georges
| Baabuk Pros | Baabuk Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ Certified B Corp using responsible materials | ❌ Not completely waterproof |
| ✔ Comfortable | ❌ No half sizes |
| ✔ Removable insoles | ❌ Expensive |
| ✔ Elastic laces for a slip on style |
3. WoolyMooMoo
Materials: Australian Merino Wool Shoes
Best for: Knitted wool shoes
Price: from $130
WoolyMooMoo is an Australian brand on a mission to create comfortable footwear that celebrates the properties of Australian merino wool.
The wool shoe brand creates four different styles of wool shoes, and each style comes in a variety of colors.
Woolmoomoo’s shoes are knitted straight from merino wool fibers, which means they are super breathable.
| WoolyMooMoo Pros | WoolyMooMoo Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ Comfortable and good arch support | ❌ Not suitable for hiking or off tough terrain walks |
| ✔ Great range of styles and colors |
4. Giesswein Merino Runners
Materials: Merino-wool uppers
Best For: Minimal wool shoes
Price: $130.00
Austrian family-owned shoe brand Giesswein creates sustainable Merino Wool shoes ethically in Europe.
The brand is currently in its third generation and expanding its product range to include new innovative wool shoe styles, including the Merino Runner.
Despite the name, the Merino Runner isn’t a technical running shoe, but it is suitable for walking, commuting, and casualwear.
If you’re looking specifically for a wool running shoe, we recommend checking out Allbirds Wool Dasher instead.
| Giesswein Pros | Giesswein Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ Lightweight | ❌ Logo large on the side (this is personal preference) |
| ✔ Machine-washable | ❌ No half sizes |
| ✔ Mulesing-free Merino Wool | ❌ Not suitable for running |
5. Allbirds Wool Runner Mizzles
Materials: ZQ Merino wool, carbon-negative EVA sole, water-resistant coating.
Best For: Water-resistant wool shoes
Price: $125
We’ve previously discussed Allbirds when featuring the Wool Runner, but if you’re looking for a water-resistant wool shoe, then the Allbirds Wool Runner Mizzles is a better option.
The Mizzles feature water-repellent Puddle Guard technology, which helps keep your feet dry while maintaining the comfort and breathability of the merino wool shoes. In addition to the Puddle Guard technology, the mizzles have extra traction and sit slightly higher on your ankle than the regular runners, which helps prevent rain splashes from entering your shoes.
| Allbirds Mizzles Pros | Allbirds Mizzles Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ ZQ mulesing-free merino wool | ❌ More expensive than regular Wool Runners |
| ✔ Water-resistant and machine washable | ❌ Shoes run slightly small |
| ✔ Extra grip and traction for wet weather | |
| ✔ Comfortable shoes |
6. Mahabis
Materials: Wool felt uppers, rubber sole
Best For: Wool slippers
Price: $99
So Mahabis technically aren’t shoes, but the brand produces a great range of wool slippers with a robust rubber sole. The brand gets excellent reviews, with an average of 4.3 stars out of 5 based on 39,019 reviews.
Mahabis come in various colors and styles, including slip-ons, mules, and boots styles.
Each pair of Mahabis are created with recycled wool felt and an organic wool lining for the ultimate comfort. Plus, the rubber sole is available in a range of vibrant colors.
Plus, Mahabis offer a recycling scheme so you can recycle your old pair and prevent shoes from going to landfills.
| Mahabis Pros | Mahabis Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ Ultra-comfortable and soft | ❌ Technically slippers, not shoes |
| ✔ Great color choice | |
| ✔ Ethically made |
7. Wildling Shoes
Materials: Responsibly sourced wool and hemp
Best For: Barefoot wool shoes
Price: from $129
If you’re on the hunt for a pair of barefoot wool shoes, then definitely check out Wildling. They’re a regenerative footwear brand, which creates a range of sustainable barefoot shoes, including wool and hemp collections.
Wildling only creates barefoot shoes which help your feet more freely, which helps to train your foot muscles to improve your balance.
We’ve tested a pair of wildling wool shoes and can seriously say they are super soft and cozy. The thin soles conform to the shape of your foot, and the soles are flexible, meaning these wool shoes are perfect if you travel and are short on space.
| Wildling Pros | Wildling Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ Barefoot wool shoes | ❌ Only available in barefoot style |
| ✔ Flexible sole | |
| ✔ Handmade in Europe |
8. Allbirds Wool Dasher Mizzles
Materials: ZQ merino-wool, EVA sole
Best For: Wool running shoes
Price: $145
If you’re here looking for wool running shoes, we recommend Allbirds Wool Dashers, a sustainable and technically made running shoe suitable for short to mid-distance runs.
The Wool Dashers are made with Allbir’s signature ZW merino wool uppers and feature a robust, cushioning EVA sole. Unfortunately, the Wool Dasher has only medium arch support but has removable insoles, so you can always add your own.
Like the Wool Mizzles, the Dasher Mizzles have a water repellent technology to stop your feet from getting wet.
| Allbirds Dasher Pros | Allbirds Dasher Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ Suitable for running and ultra-comfortable | ❌ Expensive for casual shoes |
| ✔ Water resistant | |
| ✔ Machine washable | |
| ✔ Available in half sizes |
9. Giesswein Wool Knit Sneakers
Materials: Mulesing-free Merino Wool knitted uppers
Best For: Knit wool shoes
Price: $140
We’ve already mentioned Giesswein’s wool shoes in the post, but we wanted to call out another style of wool sneaker the brand is creating.
The Giesswein Knit sneakers are made from lightweight merino wool, 3D knit into a fine, stretch knitted upper.
We’ve tested Giesswein’s knit wool shoes and found them lightweight, comfortable, and perfect for casual wear. However, we wouldn’t want to wear them for long-distance or for running.
| Giesswein Wool Knit Pros | Giesswein Wool Knit Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ Lightweight breathable upper | ❌ Not waterproof |
| ✔ Machine washable | ❌ No half sizes |
| ✔ No large logo, unlike the Runners version |
Top Tip: Did you know that Merino wool is naturally water repellent and will therefore repel some water? However, merino wool alone doesn’t mean wool shoes are automatically waterproof. If you’re looking specifically for waterproof or water repellent wool shoes, we’ve included which shoes have a specific waterproof coating.
What is Merino Wool?
Merino wool is a soft fiber grown by Merino Sheep. Merino wool is naturally crimped and ultra-thin, 20% the diameter of human hair.
Merino wool has many excellent properties, including being breathable, renewable, biodegradable, and thermoregulating.
What is felted wool?
Felted wool is a soft fluffy material created by spinning strands of wool together and churning in hot water. The wool is then dried on a high heat which condenses fibers. This results in a strong, fluffy, and soft material.
What is wool felt?
Wool felt differs from felted wool as it is not woven or sewn. Instead, layers of wool are pressed together in alternating angles around a mold. The alternating angles allow the wool to form a strong net-like structure.
Wrapping Up: Wool Shoes
We hope you’ve found the perfect pair of wool shoes from our favorite sustainable brands.
If you’d like to discover more sustainable recommendations, check out our guides on sustainable sneakers, eco-friendly backpacks, and shoes like allbirds, and organic shoes.
