In 2005, the French Sebastien Knopp and Fracois-Ghislain Morillon have founded Veja, a shoe brand dedicated to sustainability.
The basic idea of the brand is to stay with one foot in shoe design and the other in social responsibility.
HISTORY
Both graduates in finance, Sebastien and Francois decided to take a different path from their peers about sixteen years ago, returning to craftsmanship.
In full expansion of the Internet, which has seen the birth of brand new professionals, the two young people went in the opposite direction with the aim of reinventing the sneaker from its very foundations.
Always passionate about sports shoes, the founders of Veja over the years have become real shoe designers, creating a catalog with about 25 different models.
Veja’s first goal is to restructure the entire sneaker production process and make it more sustainable thanks to the use of organic materials and new procedures, while offering the market products of high aesthetic quality.
What has differentiated Veja from the beginning is the direct relationship created between the company and the producers of raw materials.
As far as organic cotton is concerned, Veja has been relying for about fifteen years on NGOs that protect the production of cotton, located in the north of Brazil and Peru. Moreover, for a year now, cotton has been bought by Veja deliberately at double the market price, to support the organic plantations in a massive way.
What distinguishes standard cotton from organic cotton?
Definitely the treatment of the land and the workforce. If for the first (standard) chemical fertilizers are used that in the long run deplete the resources of the soil, in the second these are banned. The cultivation of standard cotton has a major impact on global pollution, something that organic production tries to combat.
The same applies to farmers who, in the case of intensive agriculture, are exposed to harmful substances often without protection, while in the workforce they are protected against the latter and against forced and underpaid labor.
A second raw material that Veja uses for its production of sneakers is rubber, a natural rubber extracted from the trees of the Amazon reserve, also obtained in a natural way.
Alongside the raw materials just mentioned, Veja, a true B-Corp. which it is, over the years it has devoted a great deal to upcycling by reconverting the residues of materials such as plastic, textiles or leather.
As for the actual production of sneakers, Veja has chosen Brazil, in particular Puerto Alegre as a production center.
Unlike the great giants in the field of sneakers and sportswear, Veja did not choose China for the production heart of shoes, but rather a place very close to the raw materials used. Furthermore, as far as the workforce is concerned, if factories in China are active sixteen hours a day, Veja industries are half as many.
The French brand has chosen to protect its workforce, paying it three times as much as that of the Far East.
Veja sneakers have a very interesting, albeit simple, design. As we have already anticipated, from 2005 to today 25 different models have been created that we will show you immediately.
MODELS
Veja sneakers have a very interesting, though simple, design. As we have already anticipated, from 2005 to today 25 different models have been created that we will show you immediately in chronological order.
Volley model
2005 – Price €70
Taua model
2007
Grama model
2010 – Price € 119
Grid model
2010
Indigenous model
2010
SPMA model
2010
Esplar model
2011 – Prezzo €99
Felicitè model
2012
Mediterranèe model
2012
Memory model
2014
Holiday model
2015
Esplar velcro model
2016 – Price €110
V-10 model
2017 – Prezzo €125
SDU model
2017 – Price € 105
V-12 model
2017 – Price €125
V-Lock model
2017 – Price €130
Wata model
2017
Roraima model
2018 – Price €165
Campo model
2019 – Price € 125
Rio Branco model
2019 – Pric €120
Nova model
2019 – Price €90
Venturi model
2019 – Price €155
Condor model
2019 – Price €140
Nova High-Top model
2020 – Price €99
WHERE TO FIND THEM
It is possible to buy Veja sneakers at the official website or in selected online and physical retailers. In particular we point out the Veja selection made by SHOPenauer, which you can purchase clicking here.
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