Chic factor aside (more on that in a bit), what Veja is perhaps best known for is for being sustainable before “ethical” and “recycled” were the buzzwords they are today. (“We decided to reinvent a product that was very common, but to deconstruct it and reconstruct it again, but making a positive environmental and social impact at every step of the way,” Kopp told me in the 2017 Fashionista interview.) From the very beginning of the brand, responsibly sourced rubber, textiles, and natural skins were baked into Veja’s DNA, as were ensuring that factories provided fair wages and safe conditions. (It also famously has a $0 marketing budget, allowing for funds to go further where it counts: production, raw materials, and employees’ paychecks.)
