MARNI has launched shoes in collaboration with VEJA. Creative director Francesco Risso was inspired by VEJA's sustainable stance and decided to collaborate with the brand for the first time. This is the first time that the two brands have teamed up.
Veja is a French shoe brand founded in 2005 by François Guillain Morillon and Sébastien Kopp, who have been friends since high school. As the name "Veja" means "to see" in Portuguese, they observe the production site in detail, and promote down-to-earth manufacturing step by step. The highlight is the rubber used to make the soles.
Contracted rubber farmers head deep into the Amazon early in the morning to cut into native palm trees. After returning to the village and performing his daily chores, the farmer returns to the palm tree in the evening. The farmer takes his time to collect the dripping sap, and refines it that same day - a very idyllic and time-consuming method.
The sustainable perspective is carried through in these shoes. The upper is made of leather tanned by a factory certified by LWG (Leather Working Group), an international organization for environmental protection, the lining is made of organic cotton, and the laces are made of recycled polyester.
Risso finished it with hand paintings that look like children's doodles. When you are playing mindlessly like a child, you can become your true self, and Véja, with its emphasis on handwork, and its design approach go hand in hand. And Veja, which values handmade work, and its design approach are a good match.
50,600 yen
¥41,800
The sneakers, made in collaboration with Veja, will be pre-released at a pop-up store at Isetan Shinjuku from March 16 (Wed).
Photo_Hiroyuki Takashima
Text_Kei Takegawa
