Veja and the evolution of sustainable sneakers.

There’s few fashion accessories that can rival the unprecedented rise of the casual sneaker, let alone the meteoric ascent of Veja sneakers. Having recently spent a stint in London and Paris, the full extent of the brand’s omnipresence became apparent. What we found particularly interesting was to see how Veja Sneakers were worn and matched for all occasions from sporty events to smart casual outings.

Given the above-mentioned, we ventured into finding out what the hype is all about and if the French cult footwear brand Veja is more than a mere Hypebeast phenomenon that is being backed by fair bit of celebrity endorsements, which upon further investigation the brand itself does not appear to seek out to promote.

Adorned with a borderline iconic sleek “V” logo stitched on the side of all models, which come in a myriad of colour and design variations, Veja has established itself as one of the first sustainable sneaker brands that successfully broke into mainstream territory by using high-quality recycled materials, organic cotton, and sustainably-sourced leather.

As referred to before, what I found striking about my first pair of Vejas is that due to their minimalistic aestheticism they can be effortlessly paired for almost any occasion.

What might appear simple in theory results from a carefully calibrated melange of subtlety and bucket loads of inherent style, which in equal measure accumulate to a total the DNA of which could not be more pervaded by what is the essence of a pronounced layer of “je ne sais quoi”.

While scoring high in the style department, the realm where Veja manages to rule supreme is comfortability: While quite a few sustainable brands underperform in the cushioning and arch support department, Veja’s pursues a forgiving approach to creating a footbed that offers flexibility and versatility in all regards, a quality that specifically applies to its Condor running shoes.

There might be sneaker brands that offer better customised solutions for specific activities, however, we found Vejas’ more than twenty styles that can be chosen from to quintessentially be formidable allrounders that merge everything we love about classic sneaker looks with functionality – especially if there is a modicum of interest in how responsibly the shoe is made – an area where Veja delivers in spades i.e. by minimising atrocities in the supply chain by e.g. fair trade arrangements and collaborations with organisations that support the less fortunate.

With Veja going the extra mile to ensure transparency via publishing all details on its website paired with the fact that damaged Vejas are repaired for resale, not only adds further to their appeal but proves that there is more to it than a mere marketing tactic. Let’s not forget to mention that the brand does not pay for advertising, which should add further weight to my elaborations.

We particularly love to check in regularly on Veja’s well-paced and timed collaborations with other brands, most of which, and most prominently collabs with fashion elitist Rick Owens, skew a unisex approach and minimalism with the commitment to pre-vetted materials seemingly sparking creativity rather than serving as a factor to restrict it.

If I had to simmer down why what was first launched a decade ago resonates so well with sneakerheads the world over, it would because I find Veja’s ( https://www.veja-store.com ) core design reminiscent of classic basketball sneaker designs from the 1980s made with current technology using sustainable materials – an excellent equation that is rarely found anywhere in the realm of fashion.

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Words by AW.

Phots courtesy of Vega.