For this interview, we sat down with Sébastien Kopp, co-founder of VEJA, the pioneering sneaker brand that has been redefining industry norms since 2005.

Kopp shares VEJA's remarkable journey, from its beginnings with sustainable practices using organic and eco-friendly materials to its global expansion without traditional advertising or investors.

Find out how VEJA's unique approach to transparency, innovation and social responsibility sets it apart from the fashion world, and learn more about its groundbreaking repair program and foray into performance footwear.

‍

A: Can you please introduce VEJA and provide a brief overview of your brand?

S: Since 2005, VEJA has been making sneakers differently by connecting amazing projects together and we try to keep that consistency over the years.

We came a long way during those last 19 years: we created the first sneaker that goes up the production chain, made with ecological materials like organic cotton or Amazonian rubber, that we source directly. VEJA is growing all over the world without investors, stock or advertising, naturally and strongly. We created a fantastic team of more than 428 people.

Thanks to our Clean, repair, collect program, 20.000 pairs of sneakers and shoes were repaired in our cobbler stores. Talking about numbers, we’ve sold 14 million pairs and have 3000 retailers around the world today.

‍

‍

A: As an investment banker, how did you navigate the process of starting a shoe brand, especially with limited knowledge of footwear manufacturing?

S: Ghislain and I met when we were 14 years old. We graduated in economics, and we started to work in New York and DC straight after our degrees. After a few months working in banks, we decided that was not the life we wanted. We created an NGO and traveled all around the world.

We traveled together for one year to study 70 projects... We went to China, Brazil, India, Bolivia, Vietnam, Australia..., analyzing projects and improving them to reduce pollution, respect the environment and improve social conditions of the local population.

We saw on the field that actions did not follow speeches, that the companies who sent us were not ready to act. Then, at the age of 25, we decided to create a project that would be based on action, not speeches.

‍

‍

Ghislain and I had no experience in the fashion industry. We started VEJA like an adventure, we just wanted to create a sneaker that would respect both the planet and the people. So, we deconstructed a sneaker, asking ourselves what all the raw materials were. This is our innocent definition of sustainability: to know where everything is made, and to change it step by step.

We wanted to create a canvas plimsole, so the first question was: what is canvas? It is cotton, ok, but what is cotton? How could it be better? This is how we dived into the organic and fair-trade cotton in Brazil.

Then we did the same for the sole of the sneaker and went into Amazonia in 2004 to meet the rubber tappers in the forest. This was and still is the goal of VEJA, to change every step of the production chain, from the raw materials to the stores.

‍

‍

A: How would you define VEJA's brand identity? Is it primarily a shoe brand, sneaker brand, lifestyle brand, or does it encompass elements of all these categories?

S: VEJA is about making sneakers differently; we're not trying to be different. We do what we think is right. And we don't judge what others are doing. We're proposing something new, but we don't have a lesson to teach anyone. We're not better; we go our own way and don't really allow ourselves to be put into a category.

‍

‍

A: The story of VEJA's inception is inspiring for aspiring entrepreneurs. What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs based on your experiences with VEJA?

S: My advice would be to believe in the impact of transparency and innovation because it creates value and difference and it’s just the beginning of a big change.

‍

‍

‍A: With the opening of the VEJA “Sneaker Repair Temple” in Paris, how many VEJA sneakers have been repaired thus far? Additionally, how can customers have their VEJA sneakers repaired if they do not have access to one of your physical stores?

S: In 2020, we launched our new project in Darwin, Bordeaux: a space dedicated to cleaning, repairing, and collecting old pairs from VEJA and other brands.

A second VEJA cobbler station opened in July 2021 in Galeries Lafayette, Paris. At this new location, our cobblers repair sneakers from VEJA, other brands, and all types of shoes. Just like in Darwin, we have installed collection boxes for pairs that cannot be repaired, allowing us to continue testing our recycling program. New in-store cobbler stations were established in Berlin and Madrid, as well as one inside a container at Log’ins, our warehouse near Paris and finally the VEJA General store which just opened.

To date, more than 20.000 pairs have been repaired since we’ve launched the project.

‍

‍

A: VEJA has collaborated with various brands in the past, including Emir Shiro, MARNI, Make my lemonade, Sea Shepherd and Etudes. How do you select your collaboration partners, and do these collaborations contribute to the brand's promotion?

S: Collaboration is about meeting nice people, people we like, and creating something with them. We don’t force anything. It must be fluid and fun!

‍

‍

A: Is VEJA still refraining from allocating a marketing budget for advertising, or are there plans to change this strategy?

S: A sneaker is one of the most interesting products on an economic level because it concentrates the most advertising spending. Actually, fiction has taken over reality. When you buy a pair of sneakers from a big brand, 70% of its costs goes to advertising and communication and only 30% goes to raw materials and production.

The goal of VEJA is to invest our resources on the organic raw materials, production, employees’, and farmers’ salaries by cutting the advertising and communication budget.

‍

‍

Our sneakers cost between 5 to 7 times the price of our competitors but as we don’t do advertising, they land to the same price as the big brands in the stores.

We believe in the power of word-of-mouth and of collective intelligence, that is how the word is spread today. A lot of celebrities are wearing VEJA, but they are buying their sneakers themselves.

‍

‍

A: Given the current global crises, sustainability may have taken a back seat for some consumers and media outlets. How do you believe sustainability can remain relevant in such times?

S: Sustainability is not a trend. Transparency is not a trend. Traceability is not a trend. Respecting people is not a trend. We are not riding a wave; we are a wave. And yes, people talk more and more about it. But there is still a lot of work to do.

‍

‍

A: VEJA has expanded its product line to include running and outdoor shoes. What motivated the decision to enter these performance-oriented categories?

S: Our performance running line was designed to adapt specifically to the various needs of runners, trainers, and outdoor adventurers. It was developed with innovative materials that are bio-based and recycled.

After launching the Condor 2 and the Marlin, both dedicated to running, we wanted to enlarge our performance line with an indoor training shoe. Named after the antelope, a fast and graceful animal, the Impala is the lightest sneaker VEJA ever created.

The Impala provides comfort and support. It was designed for a wide range of exercises such as gym workouts, runs on a treadmill, Swedish fit, Bootcamp, and Crossfit sessions.

‍

‍

As for outdoor, we designed the Fitz Roy which was very natural for us, as we needed this shoe to travel to the Amazonian forest or throughout Brazil to look on field for ecological raw materials. It is really designed as a function: this is a shoe for hard travelers, escaping to nature for hikes.

‍

‍

A: What is VEJA's top running shoe, and what sets it apart for athletes seeking performance footwear?

S: We’ve launched our first running shoe, the Condor in 2019 and after years of research and work, we are proud to have launched the Condor 3 a few days ago. It combines technicity, R&D and bio-based materials to address runner’s needs.

‍

‍

We tested the Condor 3 in labs for cushioning and responsiveness, then had runners try it on the field. The Condor 3 received the Awards 2023 at ISPO, world’s premier trade fair for outdoor and sports.

A: Thank you very much for the interview!

S: You're welcome!

‍

‍

You can buy VEJA sneakers online at 43einhalb, AFEW Store, Allike, Asphaltgold, The stable, Fortytree, HHV, Jumpnshoez, Scoop86, Sneakertwins and SUPPA.

‍

‍

Photos via VEJA, Camila Coutinho, Ludovic Careme, Vincent Desailly, Robin Jehl