Aside from a phase I had in my early teens, I’ve never considered myself much of a sneaker girl. Give me a pointed toe flat any day. But over the last year I’ve found myself really warming up to the humble sneaker. One of my most recent sneaker additions are a pair I got for my birthday from sustainable sneaker brand; Veja. I’ve been seriously putting these to the test over the last four months, and today I thought I’d share my thoughts on the Veja Esplar sneakers.
Wearing Minusey sweater (15% off with ‘mademoiselle15’ or alternative option here), ASOS jeans, Boden trench coat, Veja sneakers (also available here), Oroton bag, Muru Jewellery necklace, Mejuri earrings
About Veja
The French brand Veja was founded in 2005 by Sébastien Kopp and François Morillion, who set out to create a social business first; sneaker business second. The duo settled on sneakers as a defining product of our generation, but also as one which highlights some of the major issues of globalisation.
Their goal was simple; create a stylish sneaker that would not only stand the test of time, but that you’d be proud to still be wearing in ten years.
The brand defines itself as transparent over sustainable; the sneakers are fair trade, have a low impact on the environment, and are made using organic materials and recycled fabrics.
70% of the cost of a typical sneaker brand is spend on advertising. Yes, you read that right. Veja does things a little differently. Production of a pair of Veja’s costs five to seven times more that of a conventional pair of sneakers, as the raw materials are environmentally friendly and produced under high social standards.
In order to keep prices down, while still staying true to their values, Veja eliminated advertising. You can find out more about Veja’s social responsibility, production and sourcing HERE.
Size & Fit
SIZE: I’m typically an EU40 in designer shoes, a US9 in mid-tier brand shoes, and a US9.5 in Everlane shoes. I stuck with my usual size in the Veja Esplar sneakers, and found that they fit true to size (TTS).
FIT: Straight out of the box, these fit perfect. They didn’t feel too snug across the foot despite their slim appearance. I also wanted to quickly address the tongue of the shoe. I’d had it on good authority that despite feeling stiff on their first wear – the blister inducing, dig into your leg kind of stiffness – that the tongues would soften up within a week. For me, it took about six full days of wear before the leather gave. I hate the saying ‘beauty is pain’, but in this instance, I was happy to persevere. Plus, it was the one aspect of the fit that struck me as being somewhat uncomfortable.
Quality
FABRIC COMPOSITION: The Veja Esplar sneakers are essentially a basic leather sneaker with rubber soles. Veja’s leather is responsibly sourced, traceable, and tanned using methods that respect REACH norms using low levels of chemicals than other conventional sneaker brands.
Approximately 40% of the rubber used in the outer sole is sourced from the Amazon rainforest, where tappers are given a fair wage. This has the added benefit of increasing the economic value of the rainforest and fight against deforestation.
The lining within the shoe is a jersey material, constructed out of recycled plastic bottles. The suede paneling is made from a vegan nubuck produced in Germany, that uses less toxic solvents than in synthetic suedes.
DETAILS: These have all the makings of a conventional sneaker. A rounded toe, tongue down the centre with a lace up closure, and a streamlined shape that follows the nature contours of our feet. Little design details that are unique to the Veja Esplar sneakers include the ‘V’ stitched logo on the inner and outer panels of the shoe, and the vegan nubuck ‘VEJA’ branded panel at the heel of the shoe.
The leather has a smooth, almost matte finish to them, and I love that bar the stitching on the sides and the faux suede panel at the back, they’re free of embellishment. The silhouette feels arguably feminine, but casual at the same time.
Final Verdict
There isn’t really anything that I don’t love about these sneakers. Despite first learning about Veja a few years ago, it wasn’t until I listened to Clare’s podcast with founder Sébastien Kopp that I began to feel a connection with the brand that really piqued my interest. Their values aligned with mine on a deeper level, and I admired the commitment that Sébastien and François have put into developing a line that is entirely at odds with what we’ve come to know from convention sneaker brands.
Enclosed in the box of my Veja Esplar Sneakers was a small pamphlet that detailed where each component of the shoe was sourced. To me, this further reinforces the brands commitments and values to social justice, ethical manufacturing and responsible sourcing.
Then we have the actual sneakers themselves. Despite the initial discomfort from the tongue during the breaking in period, these have been nothing but comfortable. I haven’t had a single blister on my heels, and have found these perfect for short or long walks.
The sole of the Veja Esplar sneakers isn’t heavily cushioned. It feels firm, but provides enough support against the impact of my body weight when I’m walking.
Despite a narrow appearance, they easily accomodate my wide feet, and the slimline profile makes these a great option as a fashion sneaker. Admittedly, this is part of the reason why I’m so drawn to them. As I mentioned earlier, initially I found these quite uncomfortable where the tongue hit the front of my shin. It was stiff and dug in as I walked, but after six full days of wear, this had softened up entirely. A pro tip is to push the tongues to the side during the wearing in phase to reduce discomfort when breaking them in. And while I haven’t quite worn these everyday since receiving them in February, they’ve gotten a bit of a workout. Quality-wise, they’ve held up. The leather has started to crease a little across the width of the food near the sole, but more importantly, it’s softened up, which makes them more comfortable to wear.
Perhaps the elephant in the room is that being a white sneaker, they’re inevitably going to get dirty. I’ve noticed a few marks here and there on the leather, which I’ve wiped off in an ad hoc manner using a warm, damp cloth. This generally does the trick, but it’s the suede tab at the heel that you really need to be careful with. Light-coloured suede is high maintenance, and will discolour or dirty easily. The tab on my left heel has a slight blue tinge due to some colour transfer from a pair of dark blue jeans.
In terms of styling, I’ve found these effortless to wear. White sneakers are a bit of a blank canvas, I suppose. I’ve been wearing mine with everything from denim shorts and midi-length skirts, to skinny jeans, straight leg jeans, and tapered trousers.
I think if you’re after a slim line casual sneaker, then you really can’t go wrong with the Veja Esplar sneakers. To me, they feel like a step up from canvas Converse, but with the social and ethical nous.
For some other great options, Everlane recently launched a chunkier-style trainer that is 100% carbon neutral, and I also love the MiM sneaker from FRANKiE4 as a dressed up take on the casual shoe, that is ultra comfortable.
