Veja

Can fashion and environmentalism truly work together? This is the very serious challenge being undertaken by the brand Veja, which has been making greener trainers since 2005. Although they both graduated in economics in 2002, Ghislain Morillion and Sébastien Kopp did not see themselves in the financial sector. After brief stints working for investment banks in New York and Washington, the two friends changed paths for an item presenting a gap in the market: trainers. What is the particularity of trainers? marketing costs are generally higher than production costs. The duo were able to find a balance by raising manufacturing costs to offer a product that respects manufacturers, while still reducing marketing costs. The brand Veja (meaning ‘look' in Portuguese) was launched with hardly any advertising; word simply spread through press releases, written in-house.
It worked! Fifteen years after its launch, they became one of the leading eco-friendly sneaker brands. Whether wearing the Condor, the running shoe that took four years of research and is made from 53% recycled or natural materials, or the Nova, with organic cotton canvas and lining, the label successfully combines fashion and transparency. Its latest environmental feat? On top of their ethically sourced textiles and rubber, Veja is starting to produce vegan leather from corn. The brand's search for an alternative to leather led them to a laboratory in Italy producing CWL, a new material made from waxed cotton cloth mixed with the non-edible parts of the corn plant. The future of fashion and the planet can be changed, one step at a time.