Review+Compare: Veja Esplar and Campo Sneakers

About Veja

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. In fact, I might die saying these words: Value transparency. Veja, a French company with a Brazilian name (Veja is the word for “look”), has radically disrupted the world of sneakers since their launch in 2005.

“Radically disrupted?”

You’re probably thinking, those are some pretty hefty words, Megan. And in a time when “sustainable” and “ethical” are thrown around and around in the green-washing machine, no less!

Before I get into this review, I highly encourage you to check out Veja’s sustainability and fair trade pages. They have an impressive amount of content about what they’re doing to be different and to create shoes with as minimal a footprint (ha-ha) as possible. Traceable leather, recycled materials, fair trade — there’s a lot of really great information to sift through. My personal favorite is that the shoe linings, a jersey material, have been constructed out of recycled plastic bottles.

The Review

Sizing & Fit:

Size bought in all shoes mentioned in this post: 39EU/8US
Usual Size: 7.5US

I like my sneakers to fit a bit roomier than my dressier shoes, so I usually size up to an 8 like I did here for all 3 shoes, so I’d say they fit fairly true-to-size.

Wear

I bought my first pair of Vejas over two years ago. It was summer, and I was looking for a sustainably-conscious white sneaker that would take me all over my city, as I did most of my traveling via foot.

I found the Veja Esplar via Google search, and bought them at Nordstrom Canada back when they were still here. They fit well, they were comfortable, and I didn’t have any problems with digging anywhere or rubbing so I walked out of the store in them.

Those first pairs of Esplars took me miles each day around Toronto. I wore them in light rain and dried them when I was home, I wore them over ice (do not do this) and every day in the summer. I paid $197.25 CA-2022 Dollars and after two years, they need to be replaced. Here’s my two year-old pair and how they held up:

The Cons

The shoe is mostly flat and offers very little by ways of traction, so the traction that it did have wore down pretty quickly.

The leather has this smooth, pristine appearance that is lovely, but cracks very easily (note the last photo in this series) and is incredibly difficult to maintain if you’re wearing them every day.

Pertaining to the last photo, you’ll notice a strange yellow substance that is around the rubber seam of the base of the shoe. It’s on both shoes, and it seems to be oozing out of the rubber at multiple parts of the shoe. At first I thought it was just another mysterious stain that the City of Toronto had gifted me, but as it continued to appear (and only on that one area of the shoe), I became suspicious. It doesn’t come off.

The Pros

There’s virtually no arch support, so if you’re looking for something you can fit your orthotics in, these should definitely be considered. The shoe has a 1″ strip of rubber around the base, and I thought they were great because they weren’t so chunky as to not be feminine but definitely still had a classy-yet-sporty look to them. They really do go with a LOT.

So, when I sadly admitted to myself at long last that they needed to be replaced, I looked to Veja once again for another pair of Esplars. But while I was browsing the cesspool of what Instagram’s fashion tags had to offer, it occurred to me that I didn’t necessarily have to get another pair of Esplars. So, I checked out a trendy sneaker that was both more expensive ($248.60 CAD) and chunkier — two things I didn’t think I was looking for this time around, but the Veja Campo changed my mind.

So, I did what anyone would do — I bought both just in case with the intention of sending back the loser.

The Comparison and Campo Review

I want to note here that the sneakers are quite similar looking. Well, they are and they aren’t. They’re both white sneakers, at least in some capacity, with rounded toes and they both have slightly yellowed rubber at the base that’s much less white than the rest of the shoe. But this review is about the less obvious differences besides the big suede V on the side and the fact that the Campo has pebbled leather and the Esplar has baby-smooth, somewhat crisp leather.

In terms of wear, these shoes are completely different. They’re both incredibly comfortable, but the Campo is boxier both inside and out. Simply put, there’s just more shoe. For the extra cost, you really do get more. The rubber band around the bottom is thicker than the Esplar, an as result there’s more cushioning between you and the ground. You’re a bit taller, and the most noticeable difference between these two shoes are that when I walk with the Esplar, I can feel the ground beneath my foot, and with that more shock. With the Campo, I don’t feel either.

The black “Veja” logo on the Esplar tongue fades off pretty quickly. The Campo doesn’t have that logo, which I consider a significant plus as the cracked, faded logo on the Esplar makes the shoe look way rattier than they are.

I can’t call the Esplar “Walking shoes” in good conscience. I think that they’re casual shoes meant for the odd few hours of wear perhaps once or twice a week, maybe a bit less or more but certainly not to be worn each day for hours. Save for the patch at the heel made from vegan nubuck produced in Germany (that uses less toxic solvents than in synthetic suedes) and the outline stitching on the sides, this shoe is free of any additional embellishment. At this price point, I was expecting a bit more in terms of lasting quality.

While I love the somewhat daintier look of the Esplar, and the plain white exterior, I opted for the Campo sneaker in the end due to how much higher-quality they felt, plus the boxiness of the shoe didn’t end up being too boxy and it provided added protection for the sole of my foot and comfort when I’m walking.

The suede on both shoes is incredibly hard to clean, so I advise strong caution when wearing them out when the forecast calls for rain. Since it’s also light in color, it’s prone to color transfer from long skirts, pants and general staining.

The Verdict

I’m hopeful that the Campo sneaker will fill all of the gaps that the Esplar left me with, including being an everyday casual shoe that won’t look poorly in a month. They’re comfortable to wear, and I don’t feel anywhere near as much of Toronto beneath my feet as I did with the Esplars, which ultimately won me over. They weren’t different enough to discern under a pair of trousers which shoe I was wearing, and I quite liked them with jeans and shorts.

The Esplars ($180.80 CAD this time around) will go back and I will be wearing the Campo.