VEJA MULBERRY

“SUSTAINABILITY IS AN EMPTY WORD. WE CHOOSE REALITY.”

The sneaker brand VEJA announces the opening of its flagship store in New York City’s NoLita. This will be VEJA’s first location in the United States and comes just three months after the brand opened a flagship store in Paris.

The store will be located at 205 Mulberry Street, which was previously the home of Creatures of Comfort, one of the best concept stores in New York. It will not only offer every style and colorway of VEJA’s celebrated sneakers, but the space will serve as a hub for conversation and gathering.

“The chosen location on Mulberry street has a similar feeling to the Parisian neighborhoods that we call home. In this shop, we will go beyond retail to launch projects we believe in and help people connect with cool and meaningful initiatives,” says François Morillion, co-founder of VEJA.

Sebastien and François fell for Nolita ten years ago while exploring New York City with friends. Invited by their friend JR in his NYC studio, they developed VEJA from this area and learn to love the place.

In keeping with VEJA’s ethos, the team worked to create a simple, minimal, and refined space with limited waste. They collaborated with New York architect Paul Van Der Grient of WXY Studio.

To leave the space rough is the way we always saw it. Lots of brands change everything when they settle into a store. It is heartbreaking to see all the materials and furniture that gets thrown away. We think the opposite: the store of the future will be very simple. We like to feel the history of the place. For us, “a used wooden floor tells a story, and it’s also far more ecological to try to keep everything.” Sébastien Kopp, co-founder of VEJA.

Beyond the materials, even the store’s electricity is 100% renewable with wind energy provided by Abest.

Unique design elements in the space include custom neon pieces by Brazilian artist Kleber Matheus. A video display to the left of the entryway shares the brand’s story and mission, to look at the entire process of making a shoe - from the innovative materials to the fair wages that are core to VEJA’s DNA.

In addition to retail, the shop will host monthly panels, discussions, and activations with a focus on transparency,climate initiatives, and sustainability. Programming will begin in April.

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