Sometimes a little goes a long way. This is true for Tabasco on eggs, for fragrance in an elevator, for confidence in the karaoke booth, and it is also, I have belatedly realised, the secret of how to wear lace.

All these years, I’ve been getting lace wrong by wearing too much of it. Killing it with overenthusiasm. Lace is beautiful stuff: delicate and romantic. Look closely at it and you will see tiny motifs and patterns, flowers and symbols, crafted in miniature like secret messages. Lace has drama: it is the fabric of marriages, funerals and christenings, after all. And it can switch vibes: white is chaste, red is raunchy, black is sophisticated. Lace has it all going on.

But here’s the thing: when you overdo it, lace loses its lustre. Too much lace is slightly exhausting to look at. Unless you are walking up the aisle, head-to-toe lace can be overbearing. And because it looks a little old-fashioned, it can add years to your vibe. Nothing wrong with looking older, obviously. But, well, perhaps worth flagging.

Lace looks hot when it peeks out from underneath something else, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the psychology of this

But a little bit of lace? Now you’re talking. A lace trim on a skirt. A lace camisole under a blazer. Lace tights or socks. The kind of lace that winks at you, like white fairy lights nestled in a tree. Which is much better than lace that blinds you with full-beam glamour.

With restraint in mind, I have a few formulas to try. Top of my list is a lace edged skirt. Lace hits different if you place it at a less obvious place on the body. The black lace edging elevates this River Island skirt, adding drama and contrast. You won’t have to look far to partake of this outfit, because the lace-trim midi skirt is everywhere this season. My top recommendation is the double satin applique lace skirt from The White Company (£140) in chocolate with a generous froth of black at the hem. I’m keen on it because the dark colour and heavy satin make it useful, not just as a party piece, but also in the daytime, over tights and boots.

Arket have a very pretty champagne-on-champagne lace-detail satin skirt (£85), with a flattering bias cut. The best partner for a lace-trim skirt is a top half that is matte, not shiny, and loose rather than tight, but it still needs to have a bit of oomph. A fluffy sweater or an oversized blazer both work well.

Lace looks hot when it peeks out from underneath something else, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the psychology of this. The association between lingerie and sex is deeply ingrained in visual culture, a trigger that has an undeniable force – on women and men, and even on those who think they are too sophisticated for such things. It has an effect on the wearer, as well as the observer. Just by slipping a lace-edged camisole under a V-neck sweater, you feel a little friskier. If this feels a little too blatant for your taste, you can dial down the vamp by wearing lace where it doesn’t highlight your body. Sheer lace socks between jeans and a loafer look great.

But my top tip is to add lace sleeves as an under-layer. A couple of years ago, I bought a long-sleeved, black lace bodysuit and it’s turned out to be one of the most useful pieces in my eveningwear wardrobe. I wear it under sleeveless dresses to make them work in winter – I hate being cold, but this is also handy if you don’t love your arms – or with a black tux and jeans. I have no idea where it was from as I cut the label out ages ago because it showed through the lace, but the Mila Body from John Lewis (£46) is similar.

It isn’t just kids who get overexcited at this time of year. It happens to lots of us. But lace works best when it feels like a secret, so resist the urge to overshare. It can make people want to lean in a little closer, to get a better look. Think of it as sartorial flirtation. And always leave them wanting more.

","freeContentEncoded","textContent","published","strategy","curl-ready","locked","deletedAt","isSyncedFromOwnBlog","original","duplicatesCount","duplicateVersion","originalArticleId","errorsCount","appearance","article","color","backgroundColor","shortSummary","Lace is beautiful but wearing too much can be overwhelming. Discover how to wear lace subtly for maximum impact.","summary","Lace is a delicate and romantic fabric that can be versatile, but overdoing it can diminish its appeal. The key to wearing lace effectively is to use it sparingly, incorporating it as subtle accents rather than statement pieces. This approach allows lace to add a touch of drama and sophistication without being overbearing.","bullets",[231,232,233,234,235,236,237],"Wearing too much lace can be overwhelming and make an outfit look dated.","Subtle use of lace, such as trims on skirts or camisoles peeking out from under blazers, is more effective.","Lace-edged skirts are a popular trend, pairing well with matte, loose tops like fluffy sweaters or oversized blazers.","Lace peeking out from under other garments, like a camisole under a V-neck sweater, creates a subtle allure.","Lace socks worn with jeans and loafers offer a chic, understated look.","Lace sleeves, worn as an under-layer with sleeveless dresses or under a tux and jeans, add warmth and style.","The power of lace lies in its subtlety, creating a sense of mystery and inviting closer inspection.","persons",[],"places",[],"words",480,"sentiment",4,"subject","fashion","meta",{"_250":251,"_252":253,"_280":261},"type","bee:get-index-of-articles","schedule",{"_14":254,"_37":-5,"_255":256,"_67":-5,"_257":258,"_145":259,"_260":261,"_262":73,"_70":71,"_246":24,"_263":-5,"_264":71,"_211":212,"_265":266,"_39":266,"_267":268,"_269":73,"_270":271,"_41":266,"_272":71,"_69":99,"_273":274,"_275":-5,"_276":277,"_278":-5,"_279":-5},"42c16914-63e2-4613-a85b-636804578877","npub","npub1cuxrf940g02stjzu932tg7fyqxckyzaqkaunej8xsdyd0u4zp8dqxwhw6s","jobId","c8fd9609-cf47-4a2e-94dc-fbea0eb1fea3",1,"rssUrl","https://www.theguardian.com/","system","userRef","autosign","syncedAt","2025-12-15T18:48:55.174Z","frequency","daily","isOwnBlog","nextRunAt","2025-12-24T19:00:00.616Z","autopublish","sourceVariant","rss","systemVariant","scheduleVariant","scraping-bee-classic-proxy","retryArticlesIds","ownershipConfirmedAt","dataSourceUrl","eventId","d622fa1aaa24b930b8c02b2f6d43d045ff9e01e9284f28deb75188a99f0fa61b","nostrRootEvent","event",{"_14":282,"_286":287,"_288":259,"_67":289,"_302":301,"_204":303,"_304":305},"sig","8cc5e284985bb7ebf4bced554889c674d9f7c082e00169e7aeea47ff6ae21400107f72d1d44d31fc37651c44993a18320bbfba1a7ee7cce38d8d999633a160cc","kind",[290,291,292,296,299],[246,191],[29,197],[293,294,24,295],"a","30023:c70c3496af43d505c85c2c54b4792401b1620ba0b7793cc8e68348d7f2a209da:31965d7b-9d80-4c31-9d49-f034dc14318a","mention",[297,298],"client","Layer3.press",[300,301,24],"p","c70c3496af43d505c85c2c54b4792401b1620ba0b7793cc8e68348d7f2a209da","pubkey","Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: when it comes to lace, it’s all about the trimmings\nHead-to-toe can be too much, but a lace trim on a skirt, a camisole under a blazer, lace tights? Now you’re talking\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3cvxjt27s74qhy9ctz5k3ujgqd3vg96pdme8nywdq6g6le2yzw6qqjrxvfexc6kgdmz95ukgwps956xxve395ukgdpe94nrqve5v33nzdpnxyuxztqzhl7 ","created_at",1766602926,"authorNPub","markdown","Sometimes a little goes a long way. This is true for Tabasco on eggs, for fragrance in an elevator, for confidence in the karaoke booth, and it is also, I have belatedly realised, the secret of how to wear lace.\n\nAll these years, I’ve been getting lace wrong by wearing too much of it. Killing it with overenthusiasm. Lace is beautiful stuff: delicate and romantic. Look closely at it and you will see tiny motifs and patterns, flowers and symbols, crafted in miniature like secret messages. Lace has drama: it is the fabric of marriages, funerals and christenings, after all. And it can switch vibes: white is chaste, red is raunchy, black is sophisticated. Lace has it all going on.\n\nBut here’s the thing: when you overdo it, lace loses its lustre. Too much lace is slightly exhausting to look at. Unless you are walking up the aisle, head-to-toe lace can be overbearing. And because it looks a little old-fashioned, it can add years to your vibe. Nothing wrong with looking older, obviously. But, well, perhaps worth flagging.\n\n> Lace looks hot when it peeks out from underneath something else, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the psychology of this\n\nBut a little bit of lace? Now you’re talking. A lace trim on a skirt. A lace camisole under a blazer. Lace tights or socks. The kind of lace that winks at you, like white fairy lights nestled in a tree. Which is much better than lace that blinds you with full-beam glamour.\n\nWith restraint in mind, I have a few formulas to try. Top of my list is a lace edged skirt. Lace hits different if you place it at a less obvious place on the body. The black lace edging elevates this River Island skirt, adding drama and contrast. You won’t have to look far to partake of this outfit, because the lace-trim midi skirt is everywhere this season. My top recommendation is the [double satin applique lace skirt](https://go.skimresources.com/?id=114047X1572903&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thewhitecompany.com%2Fuk%2FDouble-Satin-Appliqu-Lace-Skirt%2Fp%2FA16367%3Fswatch%3DDark%20Chocolate&sref=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/dec/24/jess-cartner-morley-on-fashion-lace-trimmings&xcust=referrer%7Cnone%7CaccountId%7C114047X1572903) from The White Company (£140) in chocolate with a generous froth of black at the hem. I’m keen on it because the dark colour and heavy satin make it useful, not just as a party piece, but also in the daytime, over tights and boots.\n\nArket have a very pretty champagne-on-champagne [lace-detail satin skirt](https://go.skimresources.com/?id=114047X1572903&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arket.com%2Fen-gb%2Fproduct%2Flace-detail-satin-skirt-beige-1317472001%2F%3Futm_source%3Dgoogle%26amp%3Butm_medium%3Dcpc%26amp%3Butm_campaign%3DFF~nca_CN~pmax_AN~arket_PR~mix_MK~gb_PL~google-ads_TT~mixed_CU~gbp_PH~conversion%26amp%3Butm_id%3D18034956152%26amp%3Bgad_source%3D1%26amp%3Bgad_campaignid%3D17191389482%26amp%3Bgclid%3DCjwKCAiAz_DIBhBJEiwAVH2XwElf_1x768iNCeeocErfHQuXl0ZG7_WjolRgS-6nvggO3T_2nzqOURoCPw0QAvD_BwE&sref=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/dec/24/jess-cartner-morley-on-fashion-lace-trimmings&xcust=referrer%7Cnone%7CaccountId%7C114047X1572903) (£85), with a flattering bias cut. The best partner for a lace-trim skirt is a top half that is matte, not shiny, and loose rather than tight, but it still needs to have a bit of oomph. A fluffy sweater or an oversized blazer both work well.\n\nLace looks hot when it peeks out from underneath something else, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the psychology of this. The association between lingerie and sex is deeply ingrained in visual culture, a trigger that has an undeniable force – on women and men, and even on those who think they are too sophisticated for such things. It has an effect on the wearer, as well as the observer. Just by slipping a lace-edged camisole under a V-neck sweater, you feel a little friskier. If this feels a little too blatant for your taste, you can dial down the vamp by wearing lace where it doesn’t highlight your body. Sheer lace socks between jeans and a loafer look great.\n\nBut my top tip is to add lace sleeves as an under-layer. A couple of years ago, I bought a long-sleeved, black lace bodysuit and it’s turned out to be one of the most useful pieces in my eveningwear wardrobe. I wear it under sleeveless dresses to make them work in winter – I hate being cold, but this is also handy if you don’t love your arms – or with a black tux and jeans. I have no idea where it was from as I cut the label out ages ago because it showed through the lace, but the [Mila Body from John Lewis](https://go.skimresources.com/?id=114047X1572903&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnlewis.com%2Fjohn-lewis-mila-body-black%2Fp113649458%3Fsize%3DL%26amp%3Bs_ppc%3D2dx_mixed_fashion_BAU%26amp%3Btmad%3Dc%26amp%3Btmcampid%3D2%26amp%3Bgclsrc%3Daw.ds%26amp%3Bgad_source%3D1%26amp%3Bgad_campaignid%3D20151164289%26amp%3Bgclid%3DCjwKCAiAz_DIBhBJEiwAVH2XwPazm5lBcrQhIM4kDKuonvpKMx5wqCS2o1YtgJgLyAccEzVLaclGEBoCA5cQAvD_BwE&sref=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/dec/24/jess-cartner-morley-on-fashion-lace-trimmings&xcust=referrer%7Cnone%7CaccountId%7C114047X1572903) (£46) is similar.\n\nIt isn’t just kids who get overexcited at this time of year. It happens to lots of us. But lace works best when it feels like a secret, so resist the urge to overshare. It can make people want to lean in a little closer, to get a better look. Think of it as sartorial flirtation. And always leave them wanting more.","freeMarkdown","kind1EventId","kind30023EventId","57dc275f2def5ffbb98c8c26a93fdb7c6e4902d14f6c84913377a2bc13657505","kind30023",{"_14":312,"_286":315,"_288":316,"_67":317,"_302":301,"_204":331,"_304":305},"ecdd4ae7ad7049d8bac1d05208e530bfb50586406eff135f11172487c6ad1932f6ce4ef3bacefbdf283525cb080c274ed80c1c955e5e0575ead4bd3f50877ca7",30023,[318,321,322,325,326,328,329,330],[319,320],"r","https://news.layer3.press/articles/31965d7b-9d80-4c31-9d49-f034dc14318a",[26,191],[323,324],"published_at","1766584812",[29,197],[327,186],"d",[227,192],[297,298],[300,301,24],"Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: when it comes to lace, it’s all about the trimmings\nLace is a delicate and romantic fabric that can be versatile, but overdoing it can diminish its appeal. The key to wearing lace effectively is to use it sparingly, incorporating it as subtle accents rather than statement pieces. This approach allows lace to add a touch of drama and sophistication without being overbearing.\n - Wearing too much lace can be overwhelming and make an outfit look dated.\n - Subtle use of lace, such as trims on skirts or camisoles peeking out from under blazers, is more effective.\n - Lace-edged skirts are a popular trend, pairing well with matte, loose tops like fluffy sweaters or oversized blazers.\n - Lace peeking out from under other garments, like a camisole under a V-neck sweater, creates a subtle allure.\n - Lace socks worn with jeans and loafers offer a chic, understated look.\n - Lace sleeves, worn as an under-layer with sleeveless dresses or under a tux and jeans, add warmth and style.\n - The power of lace lies in its subtlety, creating a sense of mystery and inviting closer inspection.\n","publishedToNostr","htmlContentKind30023","

\n
Lace looks hot when it peeks out from underneath something else, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the psychology of this
\n

","pubDate","2025-12-24T14:00:12.000Z","modifiedAt","2025-12-24T19:02:06.287Z","2025-12-24T19:06:10.549Z","storyId","likes","reposts","comments","storyUpdatedAt","storyArticlesCount",{"_14":347,"_187":348,"_189":348,"_190":-5,"_26":349,"_28":350,"_193":-5,"_194":-5,"_148":-5,"_195":-5,"_196":351,"_198":-5,"_199":-5,"_200":-5,"_201":-5,"_202":-5,"_203":-5,"_204":352,"_206":353,"_208":-5,"_209":-5,"_16":210,"_211":212,"_213":-5,"_74":73,"_214":-5,"_215":-5,"_216":-5,"_217":120,"_218":-5,"_219":-5,"_220":120,"_221":222,"_223":-5,"_224":-5,"_225":354,"_227":355,"_229":356,"_238":365,"_240":376,"_242":380,"_244":381,"_69":99,"_246":247,"_248":382,"_67":-5,"_281":384,"_283":-5,"_284":385,"_306":-5,"_307":396,"_309":-5,"_310":384,"_311":397,"_313":398,"_332":71,"_333":412,"_335":413,"_337":-5,"_39":414,"_41":415,"_42":-5,"_340":-5,"_341":-5,"_342":-5,"_343":120,"_344":-5,"_345":-5},"8e5df9a8-93f5-497d-954f-53034ead7583","https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/dec/13/veja-ethical-paris-trainer-worn-a-listers-and-royalty","Dior, Chanel and … Veja? The ethical Paris trainer worn by A-listers and royalty","Veja doesn’t do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own way","https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/15951fa298c8871d9cc40490b010065d98b33f55/0_627_2240_1792/master/2240.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&precrop=40:21,offset-x50,offset-y0&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=c1b01694452f980b0b2a45750f6e2474","Veja doesn’t do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own way\nIn the grand hierarchy of Paris fashion, it’s tricky for a brand to stand out. Especially one whose *coup de maître* is a goes-with-everything white sneaker. Yet 20 years after Veja first began selling sustainable footwear, it has become the ultimate affordable It brand for scooter-wielding mums, sustainably minded millennials and A-list bigwigs who want to wear their values on their ethical leather-clad feet.\nVeja’s co-founder Sébastien Kopp says he doesn’t know if people buy his trainers because of how they are made or because of how they look. The company is fastidious about social and fairtrade practices, “but because we don’t do surveys, we don’t do marketing, we simply don’t know this information”, he says, speaking from Veja’s Paris headquarters.\nIt also doesn’t do freebies. When the actor Emma Watson wanted a pair, she did what no celebrity has ever done, “and she bought”. So did Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. “I received an email from the [palace] asking about them, but I thought it was fake so I didn’t reply.”\nThe actor Marion Cotillard once listedit as a favourite brand alongside Valentino and Alexander McQueen, and it’s been reported that the company even received a request from the maximalist costume department of Emily in Paris (on this, Veja prefers not to comment).\nWhat Veja does know is that it has sold almost 15m pairs worldwide. Its success hinges on several factors. Like a Daunts tote bag, or even a Labubu, branded accessories have become material signals of taste or interest, a way of wearing your values.\n“The Veja V tells the world this trainer is responsibly designed and produced, and that you care about that,” says Ima Shah, the director at the trend forecasting site Stylus. Fashion helped, too. Oversized clothing is popular right now, but inherently casual. “Big trousers and big shoes don’t work. A sharper shoe formalises that look – it smartens it,” she says.\nVeja makes sports shoes, but the earlier models, which are most popular, are in effect trainers for people who don’t want to wear trainers.\nStill, these are strange times for shoes. Of the 23bn shoes produced each year, about 60% are trainers. But according to Katy Lubin, the vice-president of brand and communications at the fashion marketplace Lyst, “demand for sneakers is currently down around 30% year on year”. The trend forecasting agency WGSN said sneakers were projected to decline next year, too. People wants boots and loafers, says Lubin.\nIt doesn’t help that right now, no sneaker style dominates. Earlier this year, the New York Times declared the end of the dad trainer, but according to Lyst, the paternally shaped New Balance 204L is one of the hottest trainers of the year.\nGen Z are wearing slimline shoes such as Puma Speedcats, whereas millennials, such as Chanel’s creative director, Matthieu Blazy, are still wearing Nikes (Blazy wore his for his debut Chanel bow).\nOn the catwalk you’ll see Asics at Cecilie Bahnsen, and Prada went so far as to design its own. And despite Rishi Sunak’s best efforts, even the Adidas Samba is back from the dead.\nYet the white sneaker prevails. The most popular Veja sneaker, according to Lyst, is the Campo. As spare and elegant as its noughties predecessor, the Stan Smith, much like the “quiet luxury” trend and no-makeup makeup, its blankness is also its appeal. The main difference is its customer.\n“Stan Smiths are comparable, yes, but have always skewed younger,” says Shah. While Stan Smith had cultural cache – Jay-Z once rapped about them – “Veja’s values are more linked to responsible purchasing rather than trends.” It helps, too, that they’re French, which grants them a certain chicness.\nUntil 1980, Veja’s Paris headquarters were the French Communist party’s printing building. Updated with a poured concrete floor and a Bauhaus-esque staircase, it has a vegetarian canteen, although like some of its shoes, even that used to be vegan.\nVeja began phasing out vegan sneakers because “the more we looked at leather, the more we realised natural materials have better traceability”, Kopp says. Vegan leather is often just polyester or plastic. “I know Stella McCartney is an icon [in the UK] but the vegan PVC shoes. For me? *Non.*” As for the canteen, it stopped being vegan because the staff supposedly missed cheese.\nKopp launched the brand with his childhood friend François-Ghislain Morillion – they both worked in finance – after noticing a lack of shoes that advocated ethical practice and traceability in their production process. The company now employs 500 people and has produced 14m pairs of sneakers, reaching the commerciality and ubiquity it once arguably resisted.\nThe sticking point with the ideal sustainability model – which advocates a “don’t make, don’t buy, don’t throw anything away approach” – is that there are also jobs at stake. For this reason, Kopp thinks the issue is consumer moments such as Black Friday. “It creates an economy and a mindset that is not good.” Veja does not participate. The company’s website discloses the contracts of its producers and wages of the factory workers.\nGreenwashing is also a problem, says Kopp. “The word recycling has been co-opted,” he says. This is particularly true in footwear where a single pair of sneakers can contain up to 40 different materials.\n“This is not just hard to recycle, it’s virtually impossible,” says Daniel Schmitt, Veja’s head of repair operations. For this reason, it now runs several cobblers, the idea being that one pair can be recycled – “or reborn”, says Schmitt – up to five times.\nAs the global capital of swank, recycling is not something you associate with Paris fashion. But nor is fast fashion and yet last month, Shein opened a shop in the French capital. “It’s not crazy at all,” Kopp says. There is Primark, there is Zara. Nobody can stop or is really trying to stop consumption.”\nThat its practices “show what’s fine with our supply chain and what’s wrong with the supply chains of others” is just how it goes. “We are the grandfathers of this industry, we are from another era,” Kopp says.","

Veja doesn’t do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own way

In the grand hierarchy of Paris fashion, it’s tricky for a brand to stand out. Especially one whose coup de maître is a goes-with-everything white sneaker. Yet 20 years after Veja first began selling sustainable footwear, it has become the ultimate affordable It brand for scooter-wielding mums, sustainably minded millennials and A-list bigwigs who want to wear their values on their ethical leather-clad feet.

Veja’s co-founder Sébastien Kopp says he doesn’t know if people buy his trainers because of how they are made or because of how they look. The company is fastidious about social and fairtrade practices, “but because we don’t do surveys, we don’t do marketing, we simply don’t know this information”, he says, speaking from Veja’s Paris headquarters.

It also doesn’t do freebies. When the actor Emma Watson wanted a pair, she did what no celebrity has ever done, “and she bought”. So did Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. “I received an email from the [palace] asking about them, but I thought it was fake so I didn’t reply.”

The actor Marion Cotillard once listedit as a favourite brand alongside Valentino and Alexander McQueen, and it’s been reported that the company even received a request from the maximalist costume department of Emily in Paris (on this, Veja prefers not to comment).

What Veja does know is that it has sold almost 15m pairs worldwide. Its success hinges on several factors. Like a Daunts tote bag, or even a Labubu, branded accessories have become material signals of taste or interest, a way of wearing your values.

“The Veja V tells the world this trainer is responsibly designed and produced, and that you care about that,” says Ima Shah, the director at the trend forecasting site Stylus. Fashion helped, too. Oversized clothing is popular right now, but inherently casual. “Big trousers and big shoes don’t work. A sharper shoe formalises that look – it smartens it,” she says.

Veja makes sports shoes, but the earlier models, which are most popular, are in effect trainers for people who don’t want to wear trainers.

Still, these are strange times for shoes. Of the 23bn shoes produced each year, about 60% are trainers. But according to Katy Lubin, the vice-president of brand and communications at the fashion marketplace Lyst, “demand for sneakers is currently down around 30% year on year”. The trend forecasting agency WGSN said sneakers were projected to decline next year, too. People wants boots and loafers, says Lubin.

It doesn’t help that right now, no sneaker style dominates. Earlier this year, the New York Times declared the end of the dad trainer, but according to Lyst, the paternally shaped New Balance 204L is one of the hottest trainers of the year.

Gen Z are wearing slimline shoes such as Puma Speedcats, whereas millennials, such as Chanel’s creative director, Matthieu Blazy, are still wearing Nikes (Blazy wore his for his debut Chanel bow).

On the catwalk you’ll see Asics at Cecilie Bahnsen, and Prada went so far as to design its own. And despite Rishi Sunak’s best efforts, even the Adidas Samba is back from the dead.

Yet the white sneaker prevails. The most popular Veja sneaker, according to Lyst, is the Campo. As spare and elegant as its noughties predecessor, the Stan Smith, much like the “quiet luxury” trend and no-makeup makeup, its blankness is also its appeal. The main difference is its customer.

“Stan Smiths are comparable, yes, but have always skewed younger,” says Shah. While Stan Smith had cultural cache – Jay-Z once rapped about them – “Veja’s values are more linked to responsible purchasing rather than trends.” It helps, too, that they’re French, which grants them a certain chicness.

Until 1980, Veja’s Paris headquarters were the French Communist party’s printing building. Updated with a poured concrete floor and a Bauhaus-esque staircase, it has a vegetarian canteen, although like some of its shoes, even that used to be vegan.

Veja began phasing out vegan sneakers because “the more we looked at leather, the more we realised natural materials have better traceability”, Kopp says. Vegan leather is often just polyester or plastic. “I know Stella McCartney is an icon [in the UK] but the vegan PVC shoes. For me? Non.” As for the canteen, it stopped being vegan because the staff supposedly missed cheese.

Kopp launched the brand with his childhood friend François-Ghislain Morillion – they both worked in finance – after noticing a lack of shoes that advocated ethical practice and traceability in their production process. The company now employs 500 people and has produced 14m pairs of sneakers, reaching the commerciality and ubiquity it once arguably resisted.

The sticking point with the ideal sustainability model – which advocates a “don’t make, don’t buy, don’t throw anything away approach” – is that there are also jobs at stake. For this reason, Kopp thinks the issue is consumer moments such as Black Friday. “It creates an economy and a mindset that is not good.” Veja does not participate. The company’s website discloses the contracts of its producers and wages of the factory workers.

Greenwashing is also a problem, says Kopp. “The word recycling has been co-opted,” he says. This is particularly true in footwear where a single pair of sneakers can contain up to 40 different materials.

“This is not just hard to recycle, it’s virtually impossible,” says Daniel Schmitt, Veja’s head of repair operations. For this reason, it now runs several cobblers, the idea being that one pair can be recycled – “or reborn”, says Schmitt – up to five times.

As the global capital of swank, recycling is not something you associate with Paris fashion. But nor is fast fashion and yet last month, Shein opened a shop in the French capital. “It’s not crazy at all,” Kopp says. There is Primark, there is Zara. Nobody can stop or is really trying to stop consumption.”

That its practices “show what’s fine with our supply chain and what’s wrong with the supply chains of others” is just how it goes. “We are the grandfathers of this industry, we are from another era,” Kopp says.

","Veja, a sustainable footwear brand, thrives by focusing on ethical production and timeless design, even as the sneaker market shifts.","Veja has established itself as a prominent sustainable footwear brand over two decades, prioritizing ethical sourcing and fair trade practices without relying on traditional marketing or surveys. Despite a global downturn in sneaker demand, Veja's timeless white sneakers, like the popular Campo model, continue to appeal due to their responsible design and understated aesthetic. The company actively combats greenwashing and promotes longevity through repair services, positioning itself as a pioneer in ethical fashion production.",[357,358,359,360,361,362,363,364],"Veja has sold nearly 15 million pairs of trainers worldwide over 20 years.","The brand emphasizes social and fairtrade practices but does not conduct surveys or traditional marketing.","Celebrities like Emma Watson and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have purchased Veja trainers.","The current global demand for sneakers is down by approximately 30% year-on-year.","Veja's most popular sneaker is the Campo, known for its spare and elegant design.","The brand transitioned away from some vegan materials, favoring natural leather for better traceability.","Veja operates its own cobblers to facilitate the recycling and reuse of its footwear up to five times.","Co-founder Sébastien Kopp criticizes consumer events like Black Friday for promoting unsustainable consumption.",[366,367,368,369,370,371,372,373,374,375],"Sébastien Kopp","Emma Watson","Meghan","Marion Cotillard","Matthieu Blazy","Rishi Sunak","Jay-Z","Stella McCartney","François-Ghislain Morillion","Daniel Schmitt",[377,378,379],"Paris","UK","French Communist party's printing building",739,2,{"_250":251,"_252":383,"_280":261},{"_14":254,"_37":-5,"_255":256,"_67":-5,"_145":259,"_260":261,"_262":73,"_70":71,"_246":24,"_263":-5,"_264":71,"_211":212,"_265":266,"_39":266,"_267":268,"_269":73,"_270":266,"_41":266,"_272":71,"_69":99,"_273":274,"_275":-5,"_276":277,"_278":-5,"_279":-5},"7c3decd8d3a2a281da0dd641d3e5b942c3da4d88651c658b3515d43e5fbe3193",{"_14":384,"_286":386,"_288":259,"_67":387,"_302":301,"_204":394,"_304":395},"1c86455ed0c17ccdee48dfcda841a264661d4088b565597832887965af7a8989657c5691d01c1d3f712d8d80c7d0858f784a1b390114b039b34564d66a52b814",[388,389,390,392,393],[246,349],[29,351],[293,391,24,295],"30023:c70c3496af43d505c85c2c54b4792401b1620ba0b7793cc8e68348d7f2a209da:8e5df9a8-93f5-497d-954f-53034ead7583",[297,298],[300,301,24],"Dior, Chanel and … Veja? The ethical Paris trainer worn by A-listers and royalty\nVeja doesn’t do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own way\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3cvxjt27s74qhy9ctz5k3ujgqd3vg96pdme8nywdq6g6le2yzw6qqjrsef4v3nrjcfc95unxe34956rjdmy95un2drx956nxvpnx3jkzephx5urxv5fz6n ",1765825267,"Veja doesn’t do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own way\n\nIn the grand hierarchy of [Paris](https://www.theguardian.com/world/paris) fashion, it’s tricky for a brand to stand out. Especially one whose _coup de maître_ is a goes-with-everything white sneaker. Yet 20 years after Veja first began selling sustainable footwear, it has become the ultimate affordable It brand for scooter-wielding mums, sustainably minded millennials and A-list bigwigs who want to wear their values on their ethical leather-clad feet.\n\nVeja’s co-founder Sébastien Kopp says he doesn’t know if people buy his trainers because of how they are made or because of how they look. The company is fastidious about social and fairtrade practices, “but because we don’t do surveys, we don’t do marketing, we simply don’t know this information”, he says, speaking from Veja’s Paris headquarters.\n\nIt also doesn’t do freebies. When the actor Emma Watson wanted a pair, she did what no celebrity has ever done, “and she bought”. So did Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. “I received an email from the \\[palace\\] asking about them, but I thought it was fake so I didn’t reply.”\n\nThe actor [Marion Cotillard](https://mindfood.com/article/5-minutes-with-marion-cotillard/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) once listedit as a favourite brand alongside Valentino and Alexander McQueen, and it’s been reported that the company even received a request from the maximalist costume department of [Emily in Paris](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/article/2024/jul/26/bolero-trend-emily-in-paris-fashion) (on this, Veja prefers not to comment).\n\nWhat Veja does know is that it has sold almost 15m pairs worldwide. Its success hinges on several factors. Like a [Daunts tote bag](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/nov/26/in-the-bag-why-this-season-is-all-about-a-branded-tote), or even a [Labubu](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/14/labubu-movie-deal-sony), branded accessories have become material signals of taste or interest, a way of wearing your values.\n\n“The Veja V tells the world this trainer is responsibly designed and produced, and that you care about that,” says Ima Shah, the director at the trend forecasting site Stylus. Fashion helped, too. Oversized clothing is popular right now, but inherently casual. “Big trousers and big shoes don’t work. A sharper shoe formalises that look – it smartens it,” she says.\n\nVeja makes sports shoes, but the earlier models, which are most popular, are in effect trainers for people who don’t want to wear trainers.\n\nStill, these are strange times for shoes. Of the 23bn shoes produced each year, about 60% are trainers. But according to Katy Lubin, the vice-president of brand and communications at the fashion marketplace Lyst, “demand for sneakers is currently down around 30% year on year”. The trend forecasting agency WGSN said sneakers were projected to decline next year, too. People wants boots and loafers, says Lubin.\n\nIt doesn’t help that right now, no sneaker style dominates. Earlier this year, the New York Times declared the end of the dad trainer, but according to Lyst, the paternally shaped [New Balance 204L](https://www.lyst.co.uk/shoes/new-balance-204l-sneaker-1/) is one of the hottest trainers of the year.\n\nGen Z are wearing slimline shoes such as Puma Speedcats, whereas millennials, such as Chanel’s creative director, Matthieu Blazy, are still wearing Nikes (Blazy wore his for his debut Chanel bow).\n\nOn the catwalk you’ll see Asics at Cecilie Bahnsen, and Prada went so far as to design its own. And despite [Rishi Sunak’s best efforts](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/10/im-a-longtime-devotee-rishi-sunak-apologises-for-wearing-adidas-samba-trainers), even the Adidas Samba is back from the dead.\n\nYet the white sneaker prevails. The most popular Veja sneaker, according to Lyst, is the Campo. As spare and elegant as its noughties predecessor, the Stan Smith, much like the “quiet luxury” trend and no-makeup makeup, its blankness is also its appeal. The main difference is its customer.\n\n“Stan Smiths are comparable, yes, but have always skewed younger,” says Shah. While Stan Smith had cultural cache – Jay-Z once rapped about them – “Veja’s values are more linked to responsible purchasing rather than trends.” It helps, too, that they’re French, which grants them a certain chicness.\n\nUntil 1980, Veja’s Paris headquarters were the French Communist party’s printing building. Updated with a poured concrete floor and a Bauhaus-esque staircase, it has a vegetarian canteen, although like some of its shoes, even that used to be vegan.\n\nVeja began phasing out vegan sneakers because “the more we looked at leather, the more we realised natural materials have better traceability”, Kopp says. Vegan leather is often just polyester or plastic. “I know Stella McCartney is an icon \\[in the UK\\] but the vegan PVC shoes. For me? _Non._” As for the canteen, it stopped being vegan because the staff supposedly missed cheese.\n\nKopp launched the brand with his childhood friend François-Ghislain Morillion – they both worked in finance – after noticing a lack of shoes that advocated ethical practice and traceability in their production process. The company now employs 500 people and has produced 14m pairs of sneakers, reaching the commerciality and ubiquity it once arguably resisted.\n\nThe sticking point with the ideal sustainability model – which advocates a “don’t make, don’t buy, don’t throw anything away approach” – is that there are also jobs at stake. For this reason, Kopp thinks the issue is consumer moments such as Black Friday. “It creates an economy and a mindset that is not good.” Veja does not participate. The company’s website discloses the contracts of its producers and wages of the factory workers.\n\nGreenwashing is also a problem, says Kopp. “The word recycling has been co-opted,” he says. This is particularly true in footwear where a single pair of sneakers can contain up to 40 different materials.\n\n“This is not just hard to recycle, it’s virtually impossible,” says Daniel Schmitt, Veja’s head of repair operations. For this reason, it now runs several cobblers, the idea being that one pair can be recycled – “or reborn”, says Schmitt – up to five times.\n\nAs the global capital of swank, recycling is not something you associate with Paris fashion. But nor is fast fashion and yet last month, Shein opened a shop in the French capital. “It’s not crazy at all,” Kopp says. There is Primark, there is Zara. Nobody can stop or is really trying to stop consumption.”\n\nThat its practices “show what’s fine with our supply chain and what’s wrong with the supply chains of others” is just how it goes. “We are the grandfathers of this industry, we are from another era,” Kopp says.","0b024536d92b5f02b5b2bcca4f4a9d80499531f05a941b81f6e3bb8faec0e828",{"_14":397,"_286":399,"_288":316,"_67":400,"_302":301,"_204":411,"_304":395},"63d826dd38b63a7af95ab69c4ddd1d545795d8cc3f2750504cabfc30ca0d6bf8ccc40b551d91c4d5eaf70a8a1207f15794b8124511d041751c0be4a1edef008c",[401,403,404,406,407,408,409,410],[319,402],"https://news.layer3.press/articles/8e5df9a8-93f5-497d-954f-53034ead7583",[26,349],[323,405],"1765630800",[29,351],[327,347],[227,350],[297,298],[300,301,24],"Dior, Chanel and … Veja? The ethical Paris trainer worn by A-listers and royalty\nVeja has established itself as a prominent sustainable footwear brand over two decades, prioritizing ethical sourcing and fair trade practices without relying on traditional marketing or surveys. Despite a global downturn in sneaker demand, Veja's timeless white sneakers, like the popular Campo model, continue to appeal due to their responsible design and understated aesthetic. The company actively combats greenwashing and promotes longevity through repair services, positioning itself as a pioneer in ethical fashion production.\n - Veja has sold nearly 15 million pairs of trainers worldwide over 20 years.\n - The brand emphasizes social and fairtrade practices but does not conduct surveys or traditional marketing.\n - Celebrities like Emma Watson and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have purchased Veja trainers.\n - The current global demand for sneakers is down by approximately 30% year-on-year.\n - Veja's most popular sneaker is the Campo, known for its spare and elegant design.\n - The brand transitioned away from some vegan materials, favoring natural leather for better traceability.\n - Veja operates its own cobblers to facilitate the recycling and reuse of its footwear up to five times.\n - Co-founder Sébastien Kopp criticizes consumer events like Black Friday for promoting unsustainable consumption.\n","

Veja doesn’t do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own way

Veja makes sports shoes, but the earlier models, which are most popular, are in effect trainers for people who don’t want to wear trainers.

Gen Z are wearing slimline shoes such as Puma Speedcats, whereas millennials, such as Chanel’s creative director, Matthieu Blazy, are still wearing Nikes (Blazy wore his for his debut Chanel bow).

On the catwalk you’ll see Asics at Cecilie Bahnsen, and Prada went so far as to design its own. And despite Rishi Sunak’s best efforts, even the Adidas Samba is back from the dead.

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