We have to say – every time we profile another sustainable, eco friendly brand, we learn something new. Here is what we learned when researching the French brand Veja (which means ‘look’ in Portuguese) after digging their shoes, bags and accessories over the past couple of seasons:
Seringueiros: What you call people who tap rubber trees. Veja works with a cooperative of them in the Chico Mendès reserve in the Amazon rainforest. Veja buys their rubber at a premium price so the Seringueiros can live well and reduce the financial appeal of land clearance.
The Amazon is the only place in the world where rubber trees grow in the wild.
Leathers and sheepskins are processed with heavy metals that harm the water and land; Veja uses leather tanned ecologically with Acacia extracts.
All of Veja’s sneakers are assembled in a factory in southern Brazil that respects workers’ rights and dignity.
Veja helps support 350 families in northern Brazil who grow organic cotton in one of the country’s poorest regions.
Now that’s a feel-good company and we are excited about what they are rolling out for spring/summer 2014. Their Hawaiian print is being used on totes, wallets and shoes to offer up something more amusing in your closet (but don’t just stare at it, wear it!). We are also fans of the Moabi leaf printed high top designed with Luc Jacquet for the release of his new film about rain forests “Il était Une Forêt”.
But fret not if you are not a print man. The brand has a plethora of colorways in all of their products so you can brighten up your wardrobe with some kicking color and know you did your bit to keep the rain forests from disappearing.
