Victoria: Spanish canvas trainers since 1915

Victoria is now available at SportFits, with the brand's full range: from the timeless Classics and the 110 Anniversary Edition to the Barefoot collection. It adds a brand to the range that combines Spanish craftsmanship, organic cotton uppers and a Mediterranean lifestyle.

In 1915, Gregorio Jiménez founded a shoe workshop in a small village in La Rioja, northern Spain. He named it after his wife: Victoria. What started as a local workshop grew over the decades into one of Spain's best-known trainer brands.

In the 1950s, Victoria introduced vulcanisation, a process that bonds the sole permanently to the upper under heat and pressure. The result was a sturdy, flexible canvas trainer that became the symbol of a whole generation in the 1980s. The V logo was registered as a trademark in 1985; the design patent dates from 1977.

One detail still sets Victoria apart: the faint strawberry scent of many models. It goes back to the post-war years, when recycled car tyres were used for the soles. To cover the smell of rubber, the shoes were perfumed. The tradition stuck.

International expansion began in 2004. Today Victoria exports 75% of its production to more than 50 countries. For its 110th anniversary, the brand expanded its presence in Barcelona, including its own store.

Victoria makes up to 80% of its collection in Spain, split between the two historic shoemaking regions of Alicante and La Rioja. For more than 60 years, vulcanisation has been done by hand, pair by pair. Every shoe goes through its own production process, in which the natural rubber sole is fused to the canvas upper under heat.

Unlike a glued sole, this creates a firm yet flexible bond between sole and upper.

Victoria splits its range into several collections, each with its own character. From classic canvas trainers to styles with organic cotton uppers, there's plenty of choice. What ties them together is Spanish craftsmanship and the V logo.

Victoria groups its measures, from material choice to packaging, under its own Dear World programme.

The key points according to the brand: the canvas upper is made from 100% organic cotton grown in Spain. The soles are made with plant oils instead of mineral oil. Victoria now uses recycled and recyclable packaging. Some lines are fully vegan, with soles based on plant-derived raw materials.