VEJA X Ciele Condor 2 | SNKRS veja Campo review

Veja Campo Chromefree Leather Women S Extra White Black:

• a sustainably-made pair of trainers from a recognised French brand
• a real high-quality leather (or suede) sneaker 
• a classy and minimalist white kick with Stan Smith vibes
• Veja Campo Chromefree Extra White Sun Peach

The premium price point of SNKRS veja trainers can be off-putting for many people. Not everyone is ready or willing to spend £180 on a pair of kicks even if it comes from a sustainability-oriented French company that uses ethically sourced materials and high-quality leather.

Luckily, the Campo is also available in a Canvas option with a much more affordable price of £140. Ot consider the SNKRS veja Esplar (£130).

Veja V-12 women's Shoes Trainers in Black Adidas Stan Smith or Gazelle. For only £100 these shoes are always a safe bet.

As a minimalist sneaker, the SNKRS veja Campo sits very close to the ground.

Veja Roraima Hiking Sneaker Adidas Samba (20.3 mm) and the Veja Kids White & Yellow Vegan V-10 Velcro Sneakers (22.9 mm).

The shoe also features some of the lowest forefoot stacks in the industry, putting the ball of the foot only 10.6 mm away from the ground.

It feels almost as if there is no buffer between the floor and the foot! That's why people with foot pain or other conditions that call for cushioned and supportive footwear may want to think twice before getting the SNKRS veja Campo.

VEJA Kids double touch-strap sneakers!

To make sure your heel has enough cushioning in this very grounded setup, the Campo's heel stack is notably thicker than the forefoot.

A heel-to-toe offset of 11.7 mm is very optimal for taking the pressure off the Achilles and making the heel feel more supported.

When half of a shoe's midsole is made of rubber, a soft ride is not to be expected.

The plush insole of the SNKRS veja Campo is hidden inside a sturdy vulcanised sole which has no squish whatsoever.

Pressing our Shore A durometer against the carrier part of the midsole, we recorded as much as 60.0 HA. This is about 50% harder than the average sneaker midsole.

But don't worry, the shoe won't feel like a brick thanks to the stunningly cosy and padded insole. Measuring its thickness in the heel, our calliper showed 11.5 mm which is 6 mm thicker than the standard insole!

But unlike other insoles, it works as part of the shoe's primary cushioning as opposed to being a welcome add-on. It is responsible for making the step-in feel rather pleasant in this SNKRS veja shoe.

Like most other parts of the Campo, the insole is made of eco-friendly materials including Amazonian rubber, sugar cane-based EVA, and organic cotton, among other components.

The SNKRS veja Campo proves that a sleek and minimal silhouette doesn't have to feel toe-numbingly snug on foot.

We filled the shoe's interiors with custom gel and waited until the mould solidified to take the measurements. Our calliper showed a standard reading of 91.3 mm in the widest part of the shoe's toebox. That falls right into the D medium width range.

Surprisingly, the shoe's toebox doesn't have any aggressive tapering either! It returned another regular width of 68.2 mm near the big toe, confirming this SNKRS veja kick's standard fit.

We felt no pressure on top of the our as the Campo's toebox height also turned out to be quite tall at 29.0 mm. Even a bit taller than average.

Thanks to the shoe's very grounded and firm platform, it felt nice and planted during our wear tests. The vulcanised midsole also has a pretty high topline, contributing to the steady experience.

Other than that, the SNKRS veja Campo doesn't have any stabilising components to make it feel rigid.

We were able to twist the shoe almost effortlessly in our manual test. On a 1-5 stiffness scale, where 1 is the most flexible, the shoe's pliability earned it a low score of 2.

There is not much stiffness in the shoe's heel counter either.

Giving it a good push and squeeze in our manual test, we rated the heel counter stiffness with a moderate score of 3.

How does that feel on foot? The shoe's rearfoot doesn't feel floppy but it doesn't really participate in stabilising the heel either. So if you have a severe case of overpronation, it won't stop the heel from sliding inwards.

Trainers SNKRS veja V-10 Cwl VX072530B Full White Natural.

Veja also keeps the Campo's platform width minimal. It's neither particularly narrow nor wide.

Measuring the sole width between the shoe's most distant contact points, our calliper showed 110 mm. That's on par with the average forefoot width of casual trainers.

We also discovered that the shoe's heel width is just about the same as the average. Our calliper showed 81.1 mm in the widest area.

With its all-leather upper and vulcanised sole, the SNKRS veja Campo may come across as a very stiff sneaker. But we discovered that it bends just as well as most other lifestyle kicks!

Using a force gauge, we found that it takes 22.3N to flex the Campo to a 90-degree angle which is exactly the same as the average.

One of the standout features of this SNKRS veja shoe is that it is a classy leather sneaker that feels just as comfortable as its more laid-back counterparts.

VEJA V-12 panelled lace-up sneakers Weiß.

Weighing the Campo in a men's US size 9, we found it to be only slightly heavier than the average at 14.5 oz (411g).

Looks like SNKRS veja is here to prove that leather trainers don't need to feel hefty on foot.

Veja Baskets V-12 blanc et vert en cuir.

veja rio branco vintage runner greyyellow.

On a breathability scale from 1 to 5, we rated the Campo with a low score of 2. The shoe got a bonus point because some air still finds its way inside through the collar and the gaps between the tongue and the vamp.

We believe that one of the primary reasons for choosing SNKRS veja trainers is their premium-class leather (or suede).

In this review, we are looking at the SNKRS veja Campo Chromefree Leather but you can also opt for the Chromefree Suede or Canvas options.

The word "Chromefree" indicates that the company uses a more expensive but higher quality and environmentally friendly tanning process. We guess is that it is vegetable tanning but it might as well be the brand's proprietary technology. According to SNKRS veja, "no chrome, heavy metals, or artful acids are involved."

Checking the shoe's bovine leather under the microscope, we found its texture to be real, not artificially embossed like it is on the cheaper trainers.

Another approach we use to check if the leather is real is exposing it to fire using a butane torch. As you can see, the Campo's leather did not catch fire nor did it melt down like synthetic material would.

Applying the same test to the shoe's heel collar patch, we found that it's made of genuine leather as well. SNKRS veja doesn't skimp on material quality even in the details!

P.S. If you wish to maintain the shoe's leather in its best condition, the brand recommends occasionally wiping the upper with a wet cloth and applying a special leather care product every once in a while.

We expect nothing but stellar quality from high-priced leather shoes and the SNKRS veja Campo delivers exactly on point.

Using sandpaper, we tested the limits of the shoe's leather for 12 seconds at 5K RPM. And all it did to the material was just a minor sostenibles!

That's not enough to deduct even one point from the shoe's toebox durability. The Campo scores a perfect 5 out of 5 on this test!

If you have reservations about the durability of recycled materials, SNKRS veja trainers will most likely vanish those.

Featuring 100% recycled polyester for its inner lining, the Campo managed to score high on yet another durability test.

After 4 seconds of drilling, the damage on the heel padding was very minor. It was, in fact, smaller compared to the average results we see in our lab.

Thus, we readily rate the shoe's heel lining durability with 4 out of 5.

It is expected that SNKRS veja also uses ethically sourced materials for the Campo's outsole. But how does it compare to standard rubber outsoles?

A mix of Amazonian rubber, silica mineral, and recycled rubber, among other non-listed components, makes for a moderately hard compound.

Our Shore C durometer showed a lower-than-average reading of 76.5 HC, indicating a slightly softer material. It is 10% softer than the average sneaker rubber, to be precise.

Let's see if that affects its ability to resist abrasion.

To our pleasant surprise, it does not!

Having applied our Dremel to the same spot on the Campo's outsole for 22 seconds at a high 10K RPM speed, we observed a merely standard amount of damage.

The sandpaper failed to drill any deeper than 1.1 mm! That's a regular dent depth among our lab-tested trainers.

This gives us confidence in the shoe's ability to last a good while.

Let us also take into account the thickness of that rubber compound.

Even though it is thinner than some other sneaker outsoles, it has a trusty rubber layer of 3.6 mm.

We expect the shoe's outsole to last as long as your typical daily sneaker.

The shoe's outsole traction proved to be sufficient for most day-to-day settings such as supermarket tiles.

There are no 3M or reflective elements on the Campo's upper.

The Campo's tongue is rather moderately padded. It has 6.0 mm of foam based on our calliper measurement.

We are glad that SNKRS veja keeps its designs simple and minimal wherever possible.

This SNKRS veja shoe features a classic design in which the tongue is not gusseted (not attached to the upper on the sides).

If you've seen other people wearing this SNKRS veja silhouette on the street, you may have noticed that their shoe tongues are slipped to the side. Some people do that on purpose because the Campo's tongue is pretty long and tends to dig into the ankle.

But if you're not happy with this little workaround, another option to avoid chafing is to leave the top pair of eyelets unlaced or have the tongue cut by a cobbler.

Either way, we don't think that such an expensive pair of shoes should require so much hassle.

There are no pull tabs or finger loops but you can hold onto the shoe's slightly extended heel collar to assist the on-and-off.

However, we do recommend using a shoehorn if you want to prevent wrinkles on the shoe's leather for as long as possible.

Even though the Campo's stock insole can be removed, we wouldn't recommend replacing it because it is so thick and functions as a key part of the shoe's cushioning setup.

Veja prides itself as the world’s very first sustainable sneaker brand. It uses ethically sourced materials from Brazil and follows environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.

Spotted on the feet of Emma Watson and Megan Markle around 2018, SNKRS veja quickly gained traction among the public.