In 2004 two school friends, Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion, left their jobs as bankers and started a sneaker brand with about 12,000 euros between them. Their first batch was 5,000 pairs. Before making a single shoe, they travelled to meet rubber tappers in the Brazilian rainforest and organic cotton cooperatives in north-east Brazil.

VEJA still spends nothing on advertising. The founders' idea was that most of what a big brand spends goes on adverts, so that money could go into the supply chain instead. That is a big part of why the VEJA shoes women wear look so plain. There is no campaign to live up to.

The V-10 is the shoe that made the brand famous. Meghan Markle wore a pair with jeans at the 2018 Invictus Games in Australia, and Kate wore VEJA in Scotland in 2021. In this grid there is the V-10 in white, beige, grey and silver, plus the V-10 Prime in black and white, a slightly dressier finish. The V-12 in white and in bone is the cousin with a little more detail on the side.

The white V-10 with the big V is the one I would buy first. It goes with every pair of jeans and every summer dress.

VEJA's soles use wild rubber from the Chico Mendes reserve in the Brazilian rainforest, bought from small cooperatives, and in 2019 the brand earned Fair for Life certification. The Campo and the Esplar are the shoes that show off that sole best, because there is so little else going on.

The Campo is the other pair spotted on both Meghan and Kate. It comes here in white, black, bone and gold, and the white Campo is the cleanest everyday sneaker in this edit. The Campo CA in white is a slightly different version with jute-coloured details, and the gold pair is the one for a party.

The Esplar is even simpler, a low leather court shoe with a small logo. The plain white Esplar is the most minimal, and the two Esplar Logo pairs in white and neutral add a small woven label at the side.

White leather VEJA clean up well with a damp cloth and a drop of soap. Leave them to dry away from a radiator.

What I would skip: the white Esplar with thick white sports socks. It turns a neat shoe into a gym shoe.

VEJA buys organic and regenerative cotton from Brazil and Peru, and these are the pairs where you feel it most. They are lighter and more casual than the leather classics.

The Volley is a canvas court shoe, light and soft. It comes in white and neutral, and in an animal print that is the most playful VEJA I have seen. The white Volley is the summer pair I would pack for a beach town.

The Rio Branco II is a retro runner, here in bone and in black. It has a slim, flat sole and looks good with a midi skirt. The black Rio Branco II is the easiest to wear in a city.

The Panenka is a slim, low sneaker with a vintage football feel. It comes in silver, pink and taupe, and the silver Panenka is my favourite here, very good with a grey suit or with jeans.

Canvas shoes like the Volley can go through a cold wash in a laundry bag. Take the laces out first and air dry.

What I would skip: the Volley on a wet day. Canvas soaks through fast, so keep it for dry weather.

VEJA ships its shoes from Brazil by boat, not by plane, which tells you something about how the brand thinks. The newer shapes in this grid keep that slow, plain approach, with a few more modern details.

The V-90 is the leather sneaker with a slightly rounder, more padded look, here in beige and white. The V-90 ZZ in white is a variation on the same shape. These are the pairs I would choose if the V-10 feels too flat.

The Paulistana is the simplest of the group, a simple low sneaker in white and in grey. The Recife Logo in neutral and white is chunkier and more sporty, with a bigger logo. The Urca in white is a clean shape that works with tailoring.

If you already own a V-10, these are the pairs to try next. Hold them side by side in a mirror and pick the one that looks best with your usual trousers.

What I would skip: buying a second pair in the same white leather as your first. Try a grey Paulistana or a beige V-90 instead.

Emma Watson first wore VEJA in October 2016, and early fans like her carried the brand well beyond Paris. Since then VEJA has added running shoes and summer sandals, and this grid shows that sporty side.

The Condor 3 Advanced in silver is VEJA's serious running shoe, built for road miles. The Venturi II in grey and in bone is the trail look, chunkier and more rugged. The SDU Rec in beige is a lighter runner for city walking.

The GT in white and grey is the retro trainer of the group, slim and low, and it looks great with a long skirt. Then the Etna, a two-strap sandal with a grippy sole, here in brown suede and in a bright blue. The blue Etna is the fun summer pair, and the brown one goes with everything.

A sporty sandal looks best with straight trousers that stop at the ankle, or with a midi dress. Very long hems drag over the strap.

What I would skip: the Condor for a dressy day. It is a real running shoe and looks best with sportswear.

I would start with the white V-10 with the big V. It is the shoe that put the brand on the map, and it still works with almost everything I own. My second pair would be a white Campo, and my third a silver Panenka for days when I want something new.

What I like about VEJA is that the story is in the material, not in an advert. Wild rubber, organic cotton and a boat from Brazil. That is a good reason to wear them until the soles wear down. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Barefoot Shoes and Pink Hokas Are Recovery Shoes That Refuse To Be Beige.