Aurora James Works to Hold the Fashion Industry Accountable
Photo: Emily Andrews via: Time Magazine
Aurora James is a designer and activist that is constantly raising the bar for fashion. She was born in Toronto, Canada and eventually moved to New York later in her life. She has amassed a huge resume in the industry including experience in journalism, art and photography. Currently, she is the founder and creative director of the brand Brother Vellies and the non profit Fifteen Percent Pledge. She also designed the 2021 Met Gala dress for congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
James at the Brother Vellies Store in South Street Seaport Photo: Kyle Knodell via: Architectural Digest
Brother Vellies is a sustainable lifestyle and accessories brand that she started in 2013. The brand specializes in traditional African design techniques and practices, which James learned about from taking multiple trips to African countries such as Morocco, South Africa and Kenya. James’ goal for this brand is to create influential and unique designers using handmade techniques that are not usually used within the fashion industry and to keep those techniques alive.
Her products represent sustainable and traditional practices and are cultural pieces as well. In an interview with Net-a-porter, James said, “I want people to buy our pieces because they love them; the way they’re made should be the icing on the cake. However, I do think that consumers should start expecting more from the products they invest in. Now more than ever, people want to support positive movements.” James knows how important consumers are to the brand and wants to give them pieces that are crafted well and also support great causes such as sustainability. Within the fashion industry, this can sometimes be a rare thing to see and these days, consumers want more genuine brands that practice what they preach.
Brother Vellies Fall 2016 Campaign Photo: Brother Vellies via: Vogue
In addition to being a designer, James is a political activist. In 2020, she founded the Fifteen Percent Pledge. The initiative was started in the wake of the George Floyd protest, a time of strong activism and a need for changes within the US. This is a non profit that works with various retailers and brands to have 15% (the percentage of the black US population) of their shelves and purchasing powers to black owned businesses and founders.
Many retailers work with this non profit including Nordstrom and J.Crew. The non-profit does audits for companies and helps them improve their current business practices and strategies. It also offers a database of various black owned businesses for both consumers and brands to support. The non profit hosts a gala every year to give black founders awards and accolades as well as give industry leaders the space to support black owned brands. The non profits goal is to raise more than $1.4 trillion for black owned businesses and have an 14.6% increase in black business representation.
Ashley Graham, Aurora James, Emma Grede, Selby Drummond and Karlie Kloss at the 2023 Fifteen Percent Pledge Gala in February Photo: DAVID X PRUTTING via: WWD
In most recent news, the designer and activist was credited with designing the infamous “Eat the Rich” dress that New York congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore to the 2021 Met Gala. The dress received criticism and controversy due to its slogan on the back of it and pushed James’ brand into more popularity. James is no stranger to getting political and using her platform to say what she feels. About the dress, she said, “Obviously, we hoped the look would encourage real conversations about wealth and power in America,” she said. “But it's hard to predict that level of attention…It takes a lot of energy to keep talking about these big issues. Believe me, some days, I'd rather talk about Britney Spears than systemic racism and poverty!...But we need to keep confronting these issues and exploring how we can do better. Even when it's uncomfortable.”
AOC, James and Actress Gemma Chan at the 2021 Met Gala Photo: The Met Museum via: The New York Post
James has been able to grow within the fashion industry and help other black owned businesses build themselves from the ground up. She is passionate about sustainably and traditional practices for her brand Brother Vellies, pushing sustainability initiatives in the industry. It is safe to say that James is an important asset to the fashion industry. In the future, the industry needs designers like James that truly care and use their platform to speak up on issues.
