Since 2005, VEJA has combined social projects, economic fairness, and ecological materials to produce trainers in a unique way. Hailing from France, Veja pride themselves on their ethical approach to every front of the brand, crafting the canvas & laces from organic and agroecological cotton from Brazil and Peru. The soles are made from rubber from the Amazon & all production comes out of Brazil. As we head into Autumn/Winter VEJA has curated their Project Story book - an insight into the approach and fair trade ethos of the teams that are the beating heart of the brand.
VEJA Organic & Agroecological Cotton
The farmers' associations in Brazil and Peru that produce the cotton used by VEJA grow it with consideration for people and the environment and in accordance with fair trade ideals. Brazilian cotton is agroecological and organic. By increasing the variety of species grown and soil water retention, this agriculture enhances the land after it has been farmed. Farmers in Peru cultivate regenerative and organic cotton.
They receive help with the certification procedure as well as financial and technical support to increase their output. Regenerative Organic Certified cotton accounted for about 5% of the organic cotton that VEJA purchased in Peru in 2022. With no hazardous chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs), cotton is grown utilising organic and sustainable practises according to Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC). In addition to this, VEJA works directly with the cotton producers to buy the materials at uncorrelated prices of 50% more than market values in order to support local communities and their traditional production methods.
VEJA Amazonian Rubber
Amazonian rubber is one of the primary raw materials used by VEJA. Each sole of their shoes contains this material to varying degrees (20-40%). Directly from cooperatives, they purchase the rubber, established by families of rubber tappers, known seringueiros by way of the Amazon. The rubber trees are bled by ros in accordance with a custom method that enables trees to grow again. This practise helps to safeguard the environment by forest by avoiding extensive cattle and deforestation breeding & means the cost for a kilogramme of natural rubber is five times greater than the going rate.
VEJA Recycled & Innovative Materials
VEJA makes innovative meshes using only recycled materials, made at one of their Brazilian facilities using 100% recycled polyester that has been torn into flakes and then turned into fibres. Iconic silhouettes such as the Trek Shell, Ripstop, V-Knit, Alveomesh, Engineered-Mesh, and B-Mesh are all constructed of 100% recycled polyester. VEJA also creates fabrics such as Flannel and Hexamesh from recycled polyester and organic cotton. These novel fabrics are light, flexible & water-repellent whilst also remaining durable.
VEJA Organic & Traced Leather
Since the launch of the VEJA project, the brand have been working on two key aspects of the leather production chain to improve it: traceability and chemical transparency. The bovine leather comes from the south of Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul) and farms in Uruguay, a region noted for its animal husbandry culture and leather quality. The leather is tanned in Brazil without the use of any dangerous or illegal chemicals & VEJA employs standard dyes that are compliant with legislation. During the tanning process, special attention is taken to water utilisation.
VEJA's latest addition is made of the softest leather yet sourced by VEJA - O.T. leather (Organic Traced leather), from farms in Uruguay 100% organic certified. This type of leather undergoes a mechanical beating process that makes it fine and bendable. The cattle from which O.T. leather is obtained are not sourced from deforested areas and are not exposed to pesticides, GMOs, chemical fertilizers, or antibiotics.
Veja Production & Cobbler Project
Since the very beginning, VEJA's footwear has always been produced in Brazil. Over time, a true partnership has grown between the brand and the assembly plant, with VEJA producing shoes in both the North East & Southern regions of Brazil. VEJA has conducted a thorough investigation of each of their sources of emissions, from their whole supply chain to the transportation of our trainers. With this system, the brand can better comprehend the influence of the materials utilised and each step the trainers take.
VEJA inaugurated their new Cobbler project in Darwin, Bordeaux, in 2020: a room dedicated to cleaning, repairing, and collecting vintage VEJA and other brand pairs. Since then two other locations have opened up in Paris & Berlin that help to restore pairs deemed beyond repair through their recycling program. So far in just over 3 years over 15,000 pairs have been given a new lease of life.
VEJA AW23 Collection
The latest AW23 array from VEJA see's all of these different materials in action, with updates to classic staples like the V-10 & V-12 alongside new innovative seasonal styles like the Fitzroy and Track Shell.
Shop our full VEJA collection below, available online & in-store now at Stuarts London.
Shop VEJA