For years I kept seeing these cute sneakers marked with a “V” on the most fashionable women. I came to discover they were a French brand, Veja. When I researched more and found out how reasonably priced they were, I knew I had to have them at The Shoe Hive.I have written many times about how difficult it can be to actually get new lines in the store. Sometimes it is exclusivity (meaning they don’t want us to carry, specifically), or they aren’t opening new accounts anywhere. Other times you just can’t find the right person to talk to about carrying the line – especially when it’s a European company. That is what happened with Veja. I would send message after message, after message, after message on Instagram with no response. When I finally did get a reply with a contact, I got no answers to my emails. I had kind of given up, but my sister, Rebecca, decided she was going to make sure we got these shoes. Since she has always been better at most things than me, she succeeded, and a few weeks ago we unpacked our first shipment.Veja was created by four friends in France in 2005. They wanted to make sneakers that stood the test of time while also having a purpose. They wanted one foot in design and the other in social responsibility. All of their products are made in Brazil, and if you want to learn more about what they are doing to make sure their products are environmentally sound and the people that make them are treated fairly, click here.I am so excited about this brand. Since sneakers seem to be all I can put on my feet these days, I am thrilled to add a few of these to my collection.