Humanitaire

This awesome one of a kind Vegan store has recently moved to 2717 Main Street in Santa Monica, California. All should go check out its new location or go to
if you are not in the area!

This place has great stuff, but every time I go in there to shop, the girl behind the counter comes and stands next to me (1 minute after I’ve already told her that I’m just browsing), making me nervous and wanting to leave immediately.
While I really appreciate good customer service from employees who are attentive to my needs, I HATE when employees watch me shop and when they don’t realize that I’ll ask them for help when I need it.
The girl seems nice, and I’m pretty sure she is one of the owners, but she needs to know how to make customers feel relaxed and non pressured when shopping; especially when it’s in a tiny sales floor of a small business to which I already kinda feel pressured to help stay in business.

I went here after eating at Native Foods and the bags and wallets are SUPER cute. The only downfall is the price. It’s pretty expensive but every now and again you’ll find a really good deal on stuff that’s on sale. I bought a pair of sexy black vegan strappy heels for $ 15.

Love this place! Found it while I was eating at Native Foods. Its pretty large, and they have some really cool vegan tees and accessories. They even have makeup in there! I bought a cow hugger t-shirt…everyone loves it! Wish they had a place like this around the bay.

Looooove their matt and nat accessories. One of my favorite purses comes from here (plus matching wallet). I have visions of the Seatbelt bag I spied earlier today. Dainty and retro printed, just one of a selection of animal friendly footwear, tees, jewelry, and yes, handbags. Is it time for retail therapy yet?
Support your local business. (It’s mother/​daughter owned).

It’s pricey but no one said doing the world good was cheap. The store is entirely vegan, sweatshop free and not tested on animals. Located inside trendy/​hipster-​esque The Camp in the SoBeCa district of Costa Mesa, it’s sure to make you feel good about your purchases although your receipt might tell you otherwise. Do you really want to wear cow skin sewn together by slaved and starving Chinese men, women and children? If so, shame on you.

We made a jaunt down to Costa Mesa on Saturday to check out Humanitaire. My work shoes have seen the day, so I wanted to see what sort of leather-​free, sweatshop-​free shoes they had. Goodness gracious!
The store was small, but they had a variety of shoes, bags, tees, and accessories for the vegetarian and/​or socially-​aware. They did have the No Sweat converse knock-​offs that I want (and were on sale). And I found a cute pair of shoes for work. I also really liked two t-​shirts: one that said «Eat like you give and damn» and the other that had a little bird and said «sing herbivore sing!» Unfortunately, I did not buy anything on Saturday since my budget right now is a little tight. But I imagine that I’ll be making another trip down here when I can afford those cute shoes for work.
My only beef other than the price of some of the items was that we got there at 11:00 am when they were supposed to open and the store was still closed. We wandered around The Camp for a little while, but it would have been nice if they had opened on time.

Humanitaire caters to the handful of dapper vegetarian and Earth-​conscious locale who live in Orange County. This is the place to go if you’re in need of a leather-​free alternative to shoes, wallets and belts. Check out their online store for an idea on what they offer.
The physical store offers a ton of edgy casual and dress shoes; and fewer belt selections. I bought two leather-​free canvas shoes and one belt here. The shoes are very durable and comfy but their leather-​free belts are problematic. The belt I purchased ripped in a few days. If you want a leather-​free belt, get one that isn’t so flimsy.
The store also includes many upon many animal-​friendly t-​shirts. Some t-​shirts are relevant to activism against animal cruelty. Other t-​shirts are meant to «Praise Seitan!» Talk about preaching to the choir!

If there was ever a true Californian fashion house, Humanitaire would be it. It’s vegan, believes in recycling, and mother nature friendly. But this is not hippie chic. This is the latest in shoes from platforms to ballet flats to heels, wallets sewn, purses studded with hardware, and shirts made from organic cotton. Humanitaire is a great little boutique in The Camp that offers stylish and high quality goods. Many of the items here have the feel of real leather but are 100% far from it. Nothing sold here has been animal tested or made in a sweat shop.
There are some good karmic vibes in this place. The sales people are super friendly and helpful. The message is good and the philosophy is ahead of our times. So keep the good going and shop Humanitaire.