The Power of Sustainability: How FNAA Honoree Veja Is Revolutionizing the Sneaker Industry
On Nov. 29, Veja will be honored with the Sustainability Leadership Award at the 37th annual FN Achievement Awards. Below is an article from the magazine’s Nov. 27 print issue about the brand’s ethos and sustainability strategy.
Veja’s story is a slow and steady one. Since its founding in 2004, founders Sébastien Kopp and Fran?ois-Ghislain Morillion have been successfully creating a sneaker brand with ethical sourcing.
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“The psychology [behind sustainability] is not complicated,” Kopp told FN. “It’s lot of common sense and courage, but what we do is not complicated. You just have to take risks and create some tension.”
To support local communities while using upcycled and sustainably produced materials, such as organic cotton and wild rubber, Veja works closely with cooperatives of small producers in Brazil under fair trade practices. In 2022, Veja paid 20.77 Brazilian real per kilo of cotton (or $4.27 at current exchange), which is nearly 50 percent more than the market price, for instance.
While many businesses would balk at the time and cost required to create a transparent supply chain, playing the long game has paid off for Veja. Overall, 12 million pairs of its sneakers have been sold since 2004. The brand is now in 3,000 retailers across 70 countries. It has launched 35 sneaker styles since first coming to market, and it’s opened stores in Paris, New York, Berlin and, most recently, Madrid. Veja has also expanded into children’s shoes, as well as the competitive running category.
“We’re not quick,” Kopp said. “We have a relationship with speed and with pace that is ours. We prefer the facts. We prefer to act. We prefer the fieldwork more than advertisement.”
Helen David, chief merchant of luxury at Kurt Geiger, which sells the brand in its shoe departments at Selfridges, Harrods, Liberty and Brown Thomas, said, “Veja truly spearheads transparency in the production chains. … Customers today want to know what they are buying into and to trust that when they choose a product they can be 100 percent certain the brand has stuck to its promises. Veja delivers on all of this.”
Despite being a celebrity favorite for fans such as Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, Veja likes to create buzz through its transparent practices.
“I don’t think the industry has changed a lot, but the global conscience has changed,” Kopp said about the increased emphasis on sustainability. “Some brands are making some progress. But when you ask very plain questions, like how much are the workers paid in these shoe factories, what are the components? The answers are still vague. The sneaker industry is very difficult to change. Because why change when it’s working?”
The fashion crowd has organically found its way to Veja, drawn to its story and style.
“I love the retro feeling of the SDU and the Rio Branco styles,” said celebrity stylist Michael Fisher. “My classic go-to is the green Campo. All convey an effortless, yet considered look. There’s so much excess in the fashion industry. I am always thinking about the fingerprint I’ll leave behind, so when I find a brand that is sustainable and environmentally sensitive, I lean into that.”
The brand continues to grow its assortment with new colorways and materials, as well as through collaborations with Reformation, Rick Owens and Mansur Gavriel, to name a few.
While Veja moves with intention, the brand is focused on expansion. Having grown from two to over 500 employees, Kopp is dedicated now to his team and their growth.
And as the company comes up on its 20th anniversary next year, the founder only has his eyes set ahead. “We’re always looking forward. Because we can do better. We can go further,” he said.
Veja is using its position of power to support the larger circular economy.
In June 2020, the company launched the Darwin project to minimize waste with a facility in France that cleans and restores worn sneakers and recycles those beyond help. This ongoing project now comprises five cobblers around the world, with the goal to double that in the coming years.
As for the brand’s other plans, Kopp isn’t keen on speaking about them until they are fully actualized with verified results to share. He said that talking the talk (without walking the walk) is what ignites greenwashing.
Nevertheless, he’s optimistic for the future of the industry — and pointed to Centre Commercial as one source of his enthusiasm. In 2010, Kopp and Morillion founded the independent retail store in Paris to spotlight other designers with environmental commitments.
“It’s food for thought for us. Most of them are not very well known and not very commercial, but each has a special relationship with production, with transparency, and that’s what we wanted to gather in one place,” Kopp said. “At Veja, we are paving the way for the next generations to do better. And to show them it’s possible.”
For 37 years, the annual FN Achievement Awards — often called the “Shoe Oscars” — have celebrated the style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. The 2023 event is supported by sponsors Authentic Brands Group, Birdies, Caleres, Crocs, FDRA, Nordstrom, Saucony and Vibram.
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