Wednesday, March 17, 2010

VEJA, Made in Brasil : Is another world possible ?

Veja designs and manufactures street and urban shoes. So basically it's a shoe brand ! You'd say "just one more amongst the already zillions of shoe brands existing in the world". But it's indeed not. Before to become a brand, Veja was born as a project to demonstrate we can ALL produce and manufacture differently. The project was born on 3 main pillars : using ecological inputs and criteria, fair trade cotton and latex and respecting workers dignity.


Organic cotton from Nordeste, natural rubber from the Amazon, eco-tanned leather, Veja works with Brazilian small producers organized into cooperatives and initiates a chain of solidarity that respects the workers rights and the environment. The shoes are then transported by boat from Porto Alegre to Le Havre in France, then by barges on the famous "Seine" river to finally reach the parisian warehouse. Where Veja has its head office.

Because of this sustainable approach, Veja's production costs are 7 to 8 times higher then their direct competition. While at the store front the end user price will appear very close from the rest of the crowd. How is that equation possible ? Veja is doing zero advertizing and carries no stock. 
They simply produce what has been ordered by the stockists. When the stock is over, fans will have to wait for the next season. Veja is also selling direct via its own webstore which is also more cost efficient.

 

The growing commercial success of Veja proves a new industrial approach is viable. And a new world possible. At Art de vivre, we wanted to congratulate Veja for this everyday commitment. 

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