VEJA, the responsible sneaker available at Neiwa Toulouse

VEJA means "look" in Portuguese, a nod to the brand's desire to change the way people consume fashion.

Who is VEJA?

The story began in 2004 with the launch of a trendy, 100% eco-friendly sneaker brand featuring simple, sleek designs. Behind this concept are François-Ghislain Morillion and Sébastien Kopp, two founders who share environmental and humanitarian values. 

Their goal? To create a profitable brand that incorporates ecology, social development, and economic justice throughout its product cycle: from design, through production, to sale. 

The founders have devoted all their attention and time to creating each model, of which there are 19 today. They invest so much in their design studio because they want to create sneakers that will stand the test of time.

Immediate success for a brand built on genuine values

After more than 10 years in business, VEJA has built a real relationship of trust with its employees and customers through complete transparency: in their view, you should be able to show everything and be proud of what you show.

Design takes place in the Porto Alegre region of Brazil. There, everything is calculated to create quality products: the sole is made from natural Amazonian rubber, and the canvas is made from organic cotton. Some products also feature B-Mesh, made from recycled bottles. Finally, the leather used for the sneakers is vegetable-tanned.

A closer look at two key raw materials in the design of a Veja sneaker:

Organic cotton

The organic cotton used is produced by farmer cooperatives in Brazil and Peru. To improve the producers' standard of living, Veja works through short supply chains to limit intermediaries and therefore increase their income.

Since 2004, 180 tonnes of organic cotton have been purchased directly from producers at a price more favorable to them than the market price: in 2017, organic cotton cost VEJA €3.04 per kilo, while the global price was €1.73, representing 90% more than the market price.

To further improve its social and environmental impact, the brand works with NGOs such as ESPLAR, a Brazilian NGO that supports producers by providing technical assistance and protecting their harvests.

Natural rubber

Rubber is one of the key materials used in making a sneaker, which is why VEJA buys wild rubber directly in the Amazon and collaborates with seringueiros. This is a community that lives in the forest and holds extraction rights, so it is they who harvest the rubber.

As with organic cotton, this results in higher costs: in 2017, rubber cost them €2.77 per kilo, while synthetic rubber cost between €1.35 and €2.55 per kilo, depending on the price of oil.

Veja works in collaboration with the Amopreab association, which coordinates rubber production and ensures that seringueiros are paid.

Human values above all

VEJA has entrusted 100% of its logistics to Ateliers sans frontières, which enables the employment-based integration of around a hundred people and improves their social situation, with the aim of combating exclusion through work. 

In Brazilian factories, the brand upholds its social commitments and conducts audits to understand the workers' needs, enabling them to enjoy a good quality of life.

Sneakers unlike any others

All this means high production costs: a pair of sneakers costs 5 to 7 times more to produce than a traditional sneaker, yet Veja offers good value for money (€80–€170).

So how does the brand manage to stay competitive? It simply focuses on what matters most: the quality of the style and craftsmanship. It prefers to invest in what is real rather than what is imaginary and foregoes an advertising budget to avoid any financial impact on the consumer. 

VEJA sneakers are therefore an ethical alternative to the sneakers you see everywhere, with the added benefits of good value for money and style. So what are you waiting for to discover our selection?

Discover the VEJA sneakers currently available at NEIWA, as well as our entire shoe selection.