VEJA X DARWIN, A TEST-HUB FOR REPAIRING AND RECYCLING TO LAUNCH THE STORE OF THE FUTURE IN BORDEAUX

Darwin is a different place, a life-size playground for ecological and social innovation, inspired by urban cultures.

Launched in Bordeaux in 2007, its founder Philippe Barre had the desire and the courage to renovate this former barracks and turn it into an alternative place, a space for sharing and reflection on the role of the company in the service of the general and collective interest.

This space brings together 50 associations and 200 companies, breaking the traditional ways of integrating art, commerce, culture, work, and sport.

Also known for its coworking spaces, Darwin is a place of sharing. This former military barracks of 90,000 m² on the Quai des Queyries revitalizes the right bank of Bordeaux. It shelters around a million people every year, 800 people work there every day, and this figure is set to increase in the upcoming months.

Performing as an activist core, Darwin has developed an urban farm, XXL skate-park, spaces for graffiti artists, an organic grocery store and an organic restaurant called Le Magasin Général. In recent years, Darwin has even welcomed refugees and has been the Mecca of solidarity during the confinement.

Every year, Darwin organizes the militant festival CLIMAX which brings together music and debates around current issues. Guests such as the primatologist Jane Goodall, the philosopher Edgar Morin, the Amazonian activist Raoni or the actress Marion Cotillard are welcomed. The former military barracks has become an international example of ecological commitment.

VEJA has chosen this hybrid place to launch its new project: a space to clean, repair and recycle your old pairs.

VEJA x DARWIN brings together never launched VEJA prototypes, sneakers with minimal defects at reduced prices and a few pairs of old collections.

Since 2005, VEJA has been creating sneakers differently, mixing social projects, economic justice and ecological materials.

Clean, repair, recycle VEJA x DARWIN’s goal is to test a laboratory and invent the store of the future. A shoemaker’s workshop will repair and clean worn pairs of sneakers, while those in poor condition will be collected and recycled.