Sébastien Kopp, co-founder of Veja (EMLV 2001): reinventing sustainable fashion to keep up with the times

Co-founder of Veja and EMLV alumnus (class of 2001), Sébastien Kopp is a pioneer in ethical fashion and a committed entrepreneur who advocates for more responsible and transparent practices.

In a context where ecology and ethics are becoming imperatives for consumers, he discusses the challenges and opportunities for a rapidly changing sector on France Culture alongside Cécile Duflot, Executive Director of Oxfam France and former Minister.

Combining fashion with impact: Veja's committed vision

In 2004, Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion founded Veja with the ambition of transforming the fashion industry. The idea took root during a trip to China, where Sébastien was confronted with the grueling working conditions of textile workers.

He told the audience:

If people saw how their shirts, coats, or jeans were made, they probably wouldn't buy them.

This experience marked a turning point: it became clear that the production chain needed to be rethought in order to create a brand that combined transparency, quality, and ethics.

Since 2005, Veja has been working exclusively with bio-based materials and is Fair Trade certified. And the brand's commitment goes beyond shoe manufacturing: with COP30 in Brazil approaching, Sébastien highlights the work with local communities to promote wild rubber from the Amazon. By purchasing this material at five to seven times the market price, Veja creates an economic incentive to preserve the forest and encourages farmers to become guardians of the ecosystem.

Fashion confronts its excesses: the fight for sustainability

In a context where climate issues are increasingly taking center stage and pressure is mounting on major brands to reduce their environmental impact, Sébastien Kopp reminds us that the real challenge for fashion is not the price of clothing, but the overconsumption encouraged by certain players.

Shein provides access not to consumption, but to overconsumption. Buying things we don't need has become almost a hobby.

For him, the transition to more sustainable consumption is no longer an option but a necessity, both for the environment and for the credibility of brands. Veja illustrates this philosophy by focusing on value rather than price, refusing advertising, and investing in quality products and responsible production conditions.

Acting within one's means: ethics and dialogue with consumers

Individual responsibility and the ability to take concrete action also play a central role in his thinking.

We must stop looking up, listening to promises, and each try, within our means, to move towards a more economically and ecologically just world.

Dialogue and transparency with consumers are also essential:

Customers want to understand where the materials come from and how the products they buy are made. This profoundly changes the relationship with the brand. 

For nearly two decades, Sébastien Kopp has shown that entrepreneurial success can go hand in hand with ethics and responsibility. His career proves that it is possible to transform fashion into a sector that is more respectful of people and the environment, while inspiring new generations of entrepreneurs and consumers. For him, every player in the chain can contribute to positive change: the future belongs to those who dare to combine innovation, ethics, and sustainability.

Listen to the replay of the presentation (in french):

“COP30, Shein scandal: can ecology still win?”