Veja's idea came up in an Asian factory, where Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion conducted social audits for different fashion brands. While the food industry managed to develop products by collaborating directly with producers and improving their conditions, fashion was far from being an example of this.
VEJA, WHERE RESPONSIBILITY AND DESIGN CAN BE FOUND
Rarely does a name explain so much about a brand. Veja in Portuguese means ‘look’, a proposal to go beyond the shoe itself, a business whose transparency applies to all of its processes. It is not a strategy to show your good deeds but an effort to change everything that is still far from their ideal.
It was 2003, while the dotcom bubble was deflating, Kopp and Morillion preferred to work on a real product. They chose sneakers only because they were a symbol of their generation, it is also a product that perfectly reflects many current problems. Veja refuses to choose between responsibility and design, giving as much importance to the result as to the process. That is why their silhouettes have a timeless aspect to them, they are designed to be used at any time.
Veja works with organic cotton purchased directly from producers at prices that are agreed on at the beginning of each campaign, avoiding the problems of market changes. Veja’s soles are made of 20% natural rubber collected in the Amazon by seringueiros and some models are made of B-Mesh, a material made from plastic waste. In their transparency policy they include chemical products; every year each chemical is checked to ensure that all potentially hazardous substances have been removed. And all contracts with suppliers are available on their website. The Paris headquarters use green energy provided by a cooperative and its logistics network works with Ateliers Sans Frontières.
Precisely because of their commitment against single-use fashion, Veja stands out for simple designs that recall a time of classic and durable lines. In their attempt to revolutionise the shoe manufacturing processes, a feature that has been added in their style has led them to become one of the upcoming brands of recent years. Their latest work, an amazing collaboration with Rick Owens based on their running silhouette.
From Brazil, (where they are sold under the name Vert due to registration problems) Veja continues to investigate methods of dyeing regularleather and fish leather as well as new processes that allow for the original idea of the brand to advance.
