Aurora James
Aurora James (born July 12, 1984) is a creative director, activist, poet, and award-winning fashion designer[1]. In 2013, her accessories label, Brother Vellies was founded with the goal of keeping traditional African design practices and techniques alive, while also creating and sustaining artisanal jobs across the globe.
On May 29, 2020, Aurora James created the 15 Percent Pledge. Within 5 short days, James founded the 15 Percent Pledge as a non-profit 501c3 Advocacy group with the support of James Higa. On June 10, 2020, Sephora was announced publicly as the first business to sign on to the 15 Percent Pledge[2].
Both Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge are based in Brooklyn, New York, where James also lives.
Early Life
James was born to a Ghanian Father and Canadian Mother in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Her childhood was split between Canada and Jamaica. In 2010 James relocated to Los Angeles and later moved to New York City where she now lives and operates her accessories brand, Brother Vellies, and the non-profit organization The 15 Percent Pledge.
Career and Brand
After traveling across Africa in 2011, James spent the next few years experimenting with design, testing designs at local markets in New York and working with various artisan groups. She then launched Brother Vellies in January 2013 with the goal of preserving the shoemaking craft across Southern Africa, as well as creating new jobs for artisans in the workshops that she partnered with. The first formal Brother Vellies collection was produced for the Spring 2014 season and was created entirely with shoemakers in South Africa. James expanded to working in other countries within Africa and beyond to continue producing authentic, modern-day desert boots, shoes, slippers, and sandals.
James travels to Africa every few months to work on the ground with local artisans and to further develop Brother Vellies’ collections.
In 2015, James began producing handbags for Brother Vellies, the same year she won the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund prize.
Brother Vellies has been worn by activists, celebrities, artists, and musicians including Lupita Nyong’o, Tessa Thompson, Beyoncé, Solange Knowles[3] at the Met Gala, Zendaya, Elaine Welteroth, Lady Gaga, Vanessa Hudgens, Rihanna, Hailey Beiber, Nicki Minaj, and many more.
The 15 Percent Pledge
In 2020, James launched an initiative called the 15 Percent Pledge[4]. The Pledge is a non-profit organization that urges major retailers to commit 15% of their shelf-space to Black-owned businesses. It offers large corporations accountability and strategy suggestion as well as consulting services. The goal of the 15 Percent Pledge is to advocate on behalf of Black-owned businesses as well as Black future founders. The initiative was born from seeing multiple acts of social injustice and police brutality in the United States, with a lack of corporate accountability for the systemic issues at play. The murder of George Floyd (May 25, 2020) sparked a wave of activism for the Black Lives Matter movement and called for the end of the systemic racism in America, social justice reform, and economic and social equality. Businesses including Sephora and Rent The Runway have all signed on to James’ 15 Percent Pledge.
Awards & Honors
- 2015 CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund – Winner[5]
- 2016 Inductee to the Council of Fashion Designers of America
- 2016 CFDA Awards, Swarovski Award for Accessory Design – Nominee[6]
- 2016, Vogue Talents Award – Winner
- 2016-2018 CFDA Fashion Incubator Member
- 2018 CFDA Awards, Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent – Nominee[7]
- 2019 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation by Planned Parenthood – Influencer Award - Winner[8]
- 2019, Crain’s New York Business 40 Under 40[9]
- 2019, CFDA Award: International Canadian Designer Award – Winner[10]
- 2019, Crain’s New York Business 40 Under 40[11]
External Links:
Brother Vellies official website
15 Percent Pledge official website
Aurora James on Instagram
Brother Vellies on Instagram
15 Percent Pledge on Instagram
Resources:
Vogue.com: Breaking News! Brother Vellies, Gypsy Sport and Jonathan Simkhai to Share 2015 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Win
W Magazine: Brother Vellies’ Aurora James Just Wants Women to be Comfortable in their Shoes
Forbes: Aurora James, the Designer Behind the #15PercentPledge, On Suporting Black-Owned Businesses Long Term
The Business of Fashion: Designer Aurora James Calls On Retailers to Commit to Black-Owned Businesses
The Wall Street Journal: Meet Aurora James, a Designer Advocating for Black-Owned Businesses
Time: Fashion Entrepreneur Aurora James: 'We Need to Support Black-Owned Businesses. Period.'
Aurora James
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- ↑ Codinha, Alessandra. "Breaking News! Brother Vellies, Gypsy Sport, and Jonathan Simkhai to Share 2015 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Win". Vogue. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ↑ Maheshwari, Sapna (2020-06-10). "Sephora Signs '15 Percent Pledge' to Carry More Black-Owned Brands". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ↑ Salam, Maya; Bromwich, Jonah Engel; Safronova, Valeriya; Shutler, Natalie (2018-06-28). "Met Gala 2018: See Photos From the Red Carpet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ↑ Zarrella, Katharine K. (2020-06-12). "Meet Aurora James, a Designer Advocating for Black-Owned Businesses". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ↑ Codinha, Alessandra. "Breaking News! Brother Vellies, Gypsy Sport, and Jonathan Simkhai to Share 2015 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Win". Vogue. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ↑ "CFDA". cfda.com. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ↑ "CFDA". cfda.com. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ↑ "Honoring the Black Women Who Stand Up for Reproductive Health Care". www.plannedparenthoodaction.org. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ↑ "40 Under 40 - Aurora James". Crain’s New York Business. 2019-03-24. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ↑ "2019 International Canadian Designer Award Recipient – Aurora James". www.cafawards.ca. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2020-08-17. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "40 Under 40 - Aurora James". Crain’s New York Business. 2019-03-24. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
