Evan Dale // Oct 25, 2020
For the planet, the animals & the people. Equally.
So reads the masthead and guiding force behind Mats Rombaut’s new footwear and beyond design collective, Virón that’s making waves stylistically and sustainably. The Belgian-born, Parisian-based, oft-in-Portugal on business lead designer of all things unapologetically conscious first gained limelight notice as Bella Hadid’s favorite street theatre leaning fashion mogul when in 2020, his other design project, Rombaut released a line of slides featuring butter-lettuce leaf uppers – seriously. But where Rombaut’s brash produce aisle sourced footwear was if nothing else, green and memeable, Virón takes the same vision sans humour and with a few extra added notches of stylistic prowess.
Environment. That’s what it’s all about, after all. The name Virón is plucked directly from the word which in English, in French, in all languages is struggling in a battle against a modern society that in so many ways has forsaken it at its core in the name of convenience and growth. And in so many ways, fashion, as Rombaut sees it, is in and of itself a terrible offender of atrocités contre notre planète. And as he sees it, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Step one: use sustainable product, both vegan and environmentally conscious. Soles made from recycled rubber, uppers cut from upcycled military canvas, leathers born of apple skin and corn husks, and the recent introduction of upcycling PET bottles and fishnets into suede make the textile and material swatch at Virón fashion’s equivalent to the most useful of compost bins. With projects like their collaboration with Berlin-based, socially conscious streetwear brand, Souvenir Official, Virón crafted their FEED YOUR THOUGHTS line which explores food waste and the role it can play as a force in curating one of the most dynamically stylish and sustainably driven lines we’ve seen from any collaboration at any scale at any time. For particular reference, check out the collaboration’s 1992 Madder Boot, hand-dyed for 72 hours with waste from Madder Root, Avocado, and Onion. Virón’s packaging is also biodegradable and made with 100% plastic-free tape.
Step two: make something that people want. Not only for its ingrained effort towards environmental sustainability and moral ethos for the betterment of all conscious beings, but also for its stylistic integrity and ubiquitous nature, Virón is making use of Mats Romaut’s decade-plus experience in footwear design and craft-centric obsession with details that extend beyond just what it is his shoes are made of, but the works of art that they’re made into. High-top boots rooted in classic military design, paying homage to the Doc-Martin timelessness within street and counterculture, yet redefining the lane with a particular edge of sleek silhouettes not only in tightly laced flexible uppers but with soles that, too, are cut without trendy chunk. A European warehouse kid himself, many of Rombaut’s stylings du jour are also adorned with patches inspired by the techno concert posters found plastered around Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Paris, and Lisbon.
Step three: if you’re going to make something edgy, why not make an even deeper statement? Teaming up with Souvenir will certainly sharpen the blade. The Berlin-based streetwear company has a history of making particularly geopolitical statements on the current state of the EU and moreover, strong visual testimonies against a certain somewhat United of Kingdoms that recently floated a bit further from continental union. Their best sellers include hoodies adorned with the EU’s signature circle of stars minus one. ‘Don’t get it if you don’t get it,’ Souvenir’s promotion for their Eunify 3.0 release reads. And with their own environmentally sustainable id engrained in everything they do, teaming up with Virón to redefine the state of statement footwear kickstarts a kismet relationship.
Step four: create a closed loop. Mats Rombaut knew innately that curating a fashion brand so rooted in environmental sustainability and moral righteousness can only go so far if inevitably a garment wears out and a customer looks to buy another. No matter how well-made they may be Viróns – like any boots sure to become a favorite staple in any customer’s rotation – are also sure to wear out eventually. Simply enough, Rombaut found a solution. By sourcing recycled materials for the company’s original production, and by subsequently creating a system of returns where a prior customer can send back their worn shoes to be re-soled – even into a new design – Virón’s closed footwear loop sets a precedent of recycling and sustainability attainable by so many other brands willing to put in the time and effort. And now that Virón has put in that effort themselves, other companies risk looking lazy, unmotivated, and unwilling to meet the moment – moments – surrounding so many contemporary issues in morality, sustainability, and political strife.
Make sustainable footwear, make it look good and high-quality, use its conscious pedestal to make it stand for even more, and then make it all cyclical. With Virón, Matt Rombaut, his entire creative team, the brand producers in Portugal, and their collaborators in Berlin are making some of the most aesthetically dynamic, environmentally sustainable, morally founded, ethos-centric, futuristically designed, and collaboratively intertwined footwear anywhere in the world today.
It’s long overdue to hop on board the sustainable footwear trend, and no one is doing it at such high-fashion magnitude as Virón.
