King55 makes stylish hard-wearing vegan boots, sandals, sneakers, and heels for women, men, and kids.
Amauri Caliman founded King55 in São Paulo, Brazil in 2001. The company’s mission is to “bring the change they wanted to see in the world.” King55 manufactures its products from cruelty-free and eco-conscious materials. The company offers distinctive styles with a streetwear edge.
Price
King55 footwear prices start at $99 for the unisex hammer boot up to $159 for the unisex lace-up London boot.
Animal rights
King55 is a vegan-forward company—meaning that they’re not trying to hide that they’re a business that seeks to avoid animal suffering as much as is practical.
Even though King55 doesn’t use the word “vegan” in their name, they reference it throughout their branding.
As a vegan customer, you don’t need to wonder if some of the range isn’t vegan or if they use animal-derived glues. And if that wasn’t enough, King55 has PETA-Approved Vegan certification.
Human rights
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find much information about King55’s human welfare standards. On their about page, they mention:
“We believe in supporting local businesses, to help our communities advance, while also working for the protection of our workers, manufacturers and suppliers.”
And on product pages, they say that their shoes are made ethically in Brazil, in an all-vegan manufacturing environment.
Before making any further comments, we’ll reach out to the company to get more information about the supply chain.
Materials
Unlike other vegan shoe brands, King55 doesn’t have a dedicated page describing the materials they use in their products.
From the descriptions, King55 uses canvas, rubber, vegan leather, and polyester lining in their shoes. It’s not clear what materials they use to make their vegan leather.
Product line
The King55 product lineup is ultra-focused on unisex boots, oxfords, sneakers, and hammers (hi-top lace-ups).
Each shoe has a distinct style different from what you typically see in vegan shoes. We’d say they fall into the streetwear category with a hint of dressy/business casual.
King55 is a Brazillian company with a solid local following. So on their Brazil website, you’ll find they have a vegan clothing line in addition to a few kid’s shoes.
Payment and shipping
King55 has three online stores in Brazil, the US, and global.
The payments for the US and global stores are processed in USD. You can pay for your order with Visa, Mastercard, or Paypal.
King55 offers free worldwide shipping on all orders. You’re looking at a 5-10 day delivery time for US customers (on the US store) and 15-20 days for other countries (on the global store).
You’re still responsible for paying fees related to import taxes and duties depending on you’re postal address.
King55 also has a wholesale program, so you could contact your local shoe shops to see if they could stock the brand. Be sure to Google “King55 {my city}” to check availability first.
Returns and exchanges
You can exchange or return your shoes within 30 days after the order has been delivered. If you’re in the contiguous United States, king55 will cover the shipping fees for one free exchange.
For all other exchanges and returns (without defect), the products must be unused, unwashed, and undamaged except for trying them on.
And for delivery addresses outside of the 48 contiguous United States, returns must be shipped by the customer. For exchanges, there will be a re-shipping fee of U$10.00.
For orders outside of the US and Brazil, king55 does not cover the shipping fees for exchanges—you would be responsible for paying for the return shipping using a trackable service. The company also doesn’t offer refunds, only exchanges.
In case of an exchange, a re-shipping fee of $30 will need to be paid through PayPal.
Customer service
King55 has care instructions on the product page, but not for all of them. They also have an online return system which makes it easier to process.
For customer service inquiries, you can fill out a form on their website or email King55 directly. They also have a phone number listed on their website.
King55 has retail locations in brazil, which mean they’re well equipped to deal with customer queries.
What could be better?
We’d like to see King55 improve upon its transparency about human rights and materials. They could make a page on their website that proudly describes the materials they use in their products and where these materials come from. This would help customers feel more confident in their purchases.
Additionally, they could list the factories they work with and any certifications they have earned related to human rights or environmentalism.
But overall, we think King55 is doing a great job. We love their unique style, the fact that they offer free shipping worldwide, and are dedicated to helping the Brazillian economy.
They also have a strong focus on veganism, which we appreciate. So if you’re in the market for some new vegan shoes, we recommend checking out King55.