Veja’s new mountaineering shoe, the Fitz Roy.
The Parisian model that began with a imaginative and prescient to make a shoe totally in Brazil utilizing ethically sourced supplies crossed one other benchmark this week: it launched its very first technical mountaineering shoe.
Though Veja’s first types had been centered round on a regular basis put on, their newest addition — the Fitz Roy— takes them into an entire new class, whereas conserving alive the dedication to make use of eco-friendly supplies.
The shoe is called after Fitz Roy, a well-known Patagonia peak, situated on the border of Argentina and Chile, not removed from the place Veja sources its two core uncooked supplies — pure Amazonian rubber and natural cotton.
Whereas this shoe doesn’t characteristic the cotton (as a result of it must be waterproof out within the components), it does embody wild Amazonian rubber in its sole, a challenge that Veja has been intimately managing for over a decade.
In an effort to make use of pure supplies, and assist livelihoods, Veja works with seringueiros within the Amazon to get wild rubber from rubber timber which are native to the forest. It permits the seringueiros to earn an revenue and to maintain the a lot beloved timber standing upright amidst the rise of timber harvesting and cattle rearing, which have been decimating the area.
This technical shoe was designed after a collaboration with Vibram, an Italy firm recognized for his or her sturdy rubber soles. Climbing sneakers should be grippy and hard. Veja introduced that steadiness collectively in a design that’s roomy, easy-to-wear, and excellent for expeditions.
On condition that Veja co-founder Sebastien Kopp is just not a fan of sustainability, however transparency, the supplies used within the shoe are disclosed, right down to the precise percentages so that customers can know precisely what they’re getting — and Veja could be clear about how a lot “sustainable” materials they’re really utilizing.
The uppers are product of 100% recycled polyester that’s waterproof however freed from PFCs, chemical substances that the outside trade has traditionally relied on to make their items repel water.
The only real’s contents are damaged down by its three layers. The insole has 12% Amazonian rubber, and 47% sugar cane. The midsole has 50% sugar cane. And the outsole is 31% Amazonian rubber.
Your entire shoe is almost 50% (properly 43% to be actual) bio-based. And Veja hopes to maintain rising that share with every passing 12 months as improvements in renewable supplies progress.
Completely made in Brazil, like their different types, the supplies are transported to the corporate’s facility in Porto Alegre. From right here on out, they’re shipped by way of sea (Veja abstains from air shipments due to the heavy carbon footprint).
Sure, it’s one other mountaineering shoe within the crowded footwear market. However its origin story is definitely distinctive.
In the end, Veja continues to construct out a profile of sneakers that meet fashionable wants, and but hold its purpose in the direction of constructing a extra ecologically-friendly firm on the forefront. They usually’re first to confess, it’s not good—not but, not less than.