Society The secret to the success of Veja sneakers that have triumphed worldwide without influencers or advertising

You’ve probably seen them walking around the street, in shopping malls, schools, universities, or maybe you have some in your closet. THE sneakers French brand Veja —pronounced veya— have become one of the most popular clothing accessories not only in Chile, but also in the rest of the world.

Their anatomy is quite simple: they are usually made of leather or rubber with an organic cotton coating, but They are characterized by a visible “V” that stands out in the middle, which can be of different colors depending on the model.

And their price, at least in Chile, is a little higher than average: in retail stores that sell them, a pair can reach $150,000.

But what is most striking about this brand is that, Unlike everyone else, he decided not to invest in advertising, campaigns or influencers. In practice, the shoes sell themselves, because they have a secret behind them.

In an article published in the Spanish newspaper The country , the creative director and co-founder of the brand, Sebastian Kopp assured that anyone who buys a Veja “can live life serenely, with their head held high.”

And creating Veja sneakersthere is no child labour, the supply chain is controlled and well paid and its manufacturing is sustainable, In other words, it has virtually no impact on the planet. According to what the man told the media, he has traveled, shared and knows almost all the producers of the materials they use.

This is the story behind the success of these shoes.

Sébastien Kopp is 45 years old, French, and created the Veja brand with a teenage friend, François-Ghislain Morillion. As he said The countryThey met at school and immediately had a deep connection. They both wanted to change the world, So they decided to study economics, but after graduating, they realized that working in common jobs in the area was not satisfying for them.

“We were not happy and we left to create an NGO, who has devoted himself to researching everything from the efficiency of solar panels to the spread of HIV among miners in South Africa. After this dizzying change in their lives, They both started traveling and learning from all these experiences.

They crossed Brazil, South Africa, India, China, Morocco, Argentina, Peru and the United States in an adventure that lasted 18 months and from which a new shared dream: to make sustainable sneakers.

According to Kopp, at that time they used the typical brands used by young people, such as Puma or Adidas, which they had always liked, but “They were also a symbol of the domination of the northern countries over those of the south and we thought we could change that.”

With 10,000 euros in hand (more than 10 million Chilean pesos) and very little knowledge of fashion, The youngsters launched their first minimalist sneakers in 2005.

The goal, the co-founder says, was not to sell sneakers, “but to demonstrate that it was possible to do better.” “We were reinventing a product that we felt was not being made well, and creating new supply chains.”

Wanting to have good quality materials, they both went to the cotton fields of the Chico Mendes reserve in the Brazilian Amazon, because they sold cotton there that was too cheap but of very good quality. They agreed to pay producers 55% more than the market price and bought their raw materials.

This offer, 20 years later, is still valid.

Regarding the leather used in some models, the French realized that cowhide was a very polluting process, so they started using acacia leather, they looked at where the animals came from, whether they ate genetically modified or organic food, for example. so you can track all your products.

But another value proposition that undoubtedly marked the success of the brand was the implementation repair shoes to extend their life : It is not yet available in Chile, however, in other cities like Madrid, Paris, Berlin, Brooklyn, etc., Veja trains young people to become shoemakers and helps customers repair their shoes and stop the habit of throwing them away and buying new ones.

In 2023, they repaired a total of 10,662 sneakers.

Veja has sold around 12 million sneakers since its debut, and none of them have been “gifts” to influencers or celebrities. It is one of the brand’s strategies that, according to the founders, has made the difference.

“We did some figures: if in a traditional brand 79% of the budget is dedicated to marketing, What would happen if we invested this budget in the production chain?

And it seems to have worked: Celebrities like Emma Watson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Reese Witherspoon have been spotted wearing their Vejas in public, without the brand having sent them to them. There are also politicians and fashion designers who have their own pair.

Meghan Markle even wore the V-10 model to the Invictus Games in Australia. Since then, a rumor has spread that the Veja website collapsed because everyone wanted to buy the same model. However, Kopp has denied this story.

What the Frenchman revealed is that his phone rings several times a day from interested parties wishing to buy the brand, but he just stopped answering, because with his partner, they know that The day they sell Veja, the new owners will only care about money.

“And we want to be free, to follow our instinct, Open in cities that we like like Madrid, set up repair shops, don’t go to Asia, even if everyone recommends it (…)”.

The man, sitting in his brand’s building in Paris, pointed at all his workers and told the journalist The country who interviewed him who probably, They would all earn more money if they worked for another brand, but they are still there because the project affects them.

“Nobody leaves here. “We won’t be the first to leave.”