Vélez works on new developments with plant fibers to use in their products

After 35 years in the market, Vélez, who started alone with the sale of women's straps, is now a constant growth brand, with a portfolio that includes from footwear and clothing, to a home line.

Actualmente, la compañía colombiana genera cerca de 4.000 jobs and have its attention on the sustainability of the industry.Juan Raúl Vélez, founder of the brand, said what has been the reception of the new lines, what goals there are for the end of the year and in which other projects are working.

How have they gone with the ‘Fly Up’ sports line?

We take sneakers, sportswear, it has been crazy, everything has been sold very well, more than all tennis, we hope to continue complementing these lines in the future, I think it is a line that will be left inside the Vélez portfolio.

How many tennis units have sold and what is the goal?

We are talking about about 30.000 units that we have sold in a month and a half.The goal, we calculate, can be between 80.000 and 10.000 units at the end of December.The answer has been very positive.

What growth is planned for the end of the year?

This year we will end very similar to 2019, a little above, which is good considering that we retreated with the pandemic, and by 2022 we hope to grow over this year about 20%.

Does the problem of obtaining leather continue due to exports of standing cattle?

Follow the problem.It is becoming a complex business, because the issue of refrigerators who are taking international companies are becoming a monopoly, everything is for export meats and in turn export the Wet Blue leather, so there is a short leather shortage.We are getting leather without problems, but I see it difficult for the future.

They are looking for alternatives for the use of plant product How is that advance, when do you expect to implement it?

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We are working on pineapple developments and other fibers.We believe they could be implementing by the end of next year, mixing leather with these plant fiber fabrics.It should be clarified that you can't talk about ‘vegan leather’, because if it's leather it is not vegan, you are badly using the word.

They implemented five restoration workshops for their products, what are they?Will they open more?

People who buy a Vélez leather product, if time passes and have it deteriorated, we fix it, we return almost new.It is an additional service other than the guarantee.We are going to start with about 10 stores, it is part of our commitment to sustainability and circular economy.

What does collaboration with Disney represent for Vélez?

The expectations are very high, we have worked very hard, the movie ‘charm’ is spectacular, a few years ago we did something similar with the Circus of the Sun, so we are looking for alliances with world -world recognized companies that help in the launch of the brand internationally.

Vélez's ‘role’ in the new film that Disney presented: charm.

The pieces, which include leather goods, clothing, accessories and footwear, have artisanal finishes, embroidery and jaguar as an emblem.From this week they entered the online sale and are already in the more than 210 Vélez stores in the country.This is the only brand in Latin America with which the company of ‘Mickey Mouse’ was encouraged to work for this project.

The bet in sustainability from the leather plant in Antioquia

With its objective of implementing the circular economy in the brand and demystifying that production cannot be sustainable, Vélez has strengthened its processes from its leather transformation plant in Amagá, Antioquia.

In the facilities, which employ 400 people (300 of the municipality) the process of: peel, tanned, recurred and drying of the leather, which, once finished, is taken to the Medellín plant to do the preparation process is carried out.(Watch video).

Among the initiatives that the company has implemented to be more friendly to the environment isAgriculture, or supplies for the production of cleaning or pharmaceutical products.

Likewise, the company works on the production of “plastic wood” for which it uses a mixture of recycled gravel and plastic, such as bottles covers, material that can be used for the manufacture of other products and even construction.

Another important element has been the treatment of water used in the transformation process, for which a plant was installed that allows to reuse a percentage close to 10% and recirculate the rest of the liquid without being harmful to the environment.

For this process, the company invested in Italian machinery that meets European standards.Currently, the plant transforms about 750 skins a day and has capacity for 1.000.