Founded in 2005 by Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion, sneaker brand VEJA has done things differently, creating not only sneakers in an ethical way, but also with a strong regard for the environment. The company’s forward vision also extends to its retail spaces. Following standalone stores at home base Paris, Bordeaux, New York City and Berlin, VEJA has recently inaugurated a boutique in Madrid. Occupying a V-shaped ground floor corner unit of a mid-19th century residential building in the increasingly buzzing downtown neighbourhood of Justicia, the store sees an interior design that’s far beyond understated. Designed by local architecture and design studio Plantea, the premises have been completely stripped, revealing nothing but bare brick walls and old pine columns and beams. Large windows on two sides of the store allow in floods of daylight while providing passers-by ample peeks of the striking shop interior.
The walls are cleaned of superfluous materials or elements, leaving the essential repairs or remains, and the dividing walls, which are of lesser material quality, have been covered with plaster and perlite mortar. The highly visible wear and tear of this backdrop is counterbalanced by a ceiling covered in a smooth acoustic absorbing material, and flooring of cement mortar which ties in all store sections. Furnishings are few and simple—on each side of the V-shaped retail space a wall-mounted steel shelf is paired with newly created concrete volumes which serve as display, seating or counter. Large mirrors, installed at intervals, not only optically enlarge the space, but also offer interesting angles. Additional furnishings include armchairs, designed by Spanish designer Joaquim Belsa in 1960, and vintage stools. Also to be found on the premises of the VEJA store is a full-fledged shoe repair workshop. The new VEJA store stocks the brand’s full range of sneakers for men, women and kids, in addition to accessories. © superfuture
VEJA
Calle del Barquillo 44 (Justicia)
28004 Madrid
Telephone +34 911 631923
Daily 10.30am-8.30pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
