{"id":33829,"date":"2021-09-09T14:33:08","date_gmt":"2021-09-09T14:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=33829"},"modified":"2021-09-09T15:22:06","modified_gmt":"2021-09-09T15:22:06","slug":"aurora-rising-aurora-james","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/","title":{"rendered":"Aurora Rising: It Appears There is Nothing the Multi-Hyphenate Designer Can’t Do"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Aurora
Sergio Hudson bodysuit, $425, available at Bergdorf Goodman, coat, $2,695, available at Neiman Marcus, pants, $995, belt, $245, sergiohudson<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BY SHELTON BOYD-GRIFFITH
\n<\/strong><\/span>PHOTOGRAPHER <\/span>MENELIK PURYEAR
\n<\/strong>HAIR <\/span>MICHAEL DAVID
\n<\/strong>MAKEUP <\/span>CHRISTYNA KAY
\n<\/strong>PROP STYLING <\/span>SHANE KLEIN<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aurora James needs no introduction.\u00a0(But,\u00a0here we go anyways.)\u00a0In fact,\u00a0perhaps it\u2019s more accurate to say that capturing the enormity of her presence in a pithy intro is\u00a0less superfluous than\u00a0it is\u00a0impossible.\u00a0A true multi-hyphenate,\u00a0James wears many hats:\u00a0including,\u00a0creative director, innovator, footwear designer, activist, community organizer, product designer, and\u00a0more.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since launching\u00a0ethical\u00a0footwear brand\u00a0Brother\u00a0Vellies<\/a>\u00a0in 2013\u2014a favorite of\u00a0such stars as\u00a0Beyonc\u00e9, Zendaya, Elaine Welteroth, and\u00a0Andra\u00a0Day\u2014James has been disrupting the fashion industry\u00a0season after season, bringing artisanal craftsmanship to the masses, and shattering the proverbial glass ceiling\u00a0along the way. A CFDA\/Vogue Fashion Fund winner (James is\u00a0now a judge\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0revered\u00a0fashion incubator program),\u00a0a\u00a0<\/span>Fortune<\/span><\/i>\u00a0magazine\u2019s World\u2019s Greatest Leader, and the\u00a0spark\u00a0behind the ever-important 15 Percent Pledge,\u00a0James\u00a0is changing the game and leaving a massive (but\u00a0sustainable) footprint.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Grazia Gazette: NYFW<\/span><\/i>\u00a0caught up with\u00a0James\u00a0on\u00a0a\u00a0typically\u00a0busy day, as the design aesthete was overseeing the installation of artisanal terracotta tiles\u00a0outside\u00a0her gorgeous Los Angeles home.\u00a0(See, she really does it all!)\u00a0We chatted about her commitment to community and the 15 Percent Pledge, her desire for every woman in America to have a pair of Brother\u00a0Vellies\u00a0in their closet\u2014and\u00a0the secret recipe for\u00a0her famous\u00a0banana\u00a0bread.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Banana bread? Yes, James expresses her creative potential\u00a0in\u00a0myriad\u00a0ways. Still,\u00a0at the core of\u00a0her passion\u00a0is\u00a0an\u00a0enduring\u00a0focus on\u00a0fashion. Her signature, organic, worldly aesthetic has been captivating the industry over the past eight years. With Brother\u00a0Vellies, inspired by Aurora\u2019s travels across Africa,\u00a0James has\u00a0carved out a niche that\u00a0honors\u00a0both\u00a0traditional, artisanal shoe-making practices (from Nairobi to Milan) while\u00a0blazing a trail\u00a0at the forefront of sustainable design.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy earliest memories of fashion come from being a child and growing up with\u00a0the\u00a0mother that I had, who really always explained to me that fashion was a tool for women to communicate with each other about how they were feeling and also about their culture,\u201d she says, breaking down the origins of\u00a0her\u00a0passion\u00a0for the industry.\u00a0\u201cFashion has always been very tied to history, culture,\u00a0and communication for me.\u201d This\u00a0perspective\u00a0is\u00a0suffused through\u00a0the design ethos of her brand,\u00a0in\u00a0that it all stems from something far greater than just aesthetics.\u00a0Fashion\u00a0\u201calso\u00a0seemed and felt like a feminist device,\u201d she explains.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe’re still seeing very few\u00a0<\/span>Black-owned<\/span>\u00a0brands in the luxury sector. While I’m proud that Brother\u00a0<\/span>Vellies<\/span>\u00a0is among one of them, I just want to make sure there\u2019s more!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Never has that intentionality been more vital. <\/span>Last summer, after the senseless killing of George Floyd and the resulting nationwide civil unrest\u2014a\u00a0maelstrom\u00a0compounded by\u00a0the economic harm inflicted on Black-owned businesses due to the pandemic\u2014James\u00a0thought about what\u00a0she could do to help. The result:\u00a0She launched the 15 Percent Pledge, calling on major retailers to commit to stocking at least 15 percent of their shelf space with products from Black-owned businesses. (The number 15 comes from the fact that Black people account for about 15 percent of the U.S. population).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I launched the 15 Percent Pledge,\u00a0the same proposition, right?\u00a0It’s that, you know, Brother\u00a0Vellies, is sold at a lot of the major retailers across the country, but\u00a0there’s a lot of Black-owned businesses obviously that haven’t got that opportunity,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u201cSo,\u00a0what does it look like to bring them into the mix as well?\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With t<\/span>he 15 Percent Pledge,\u00a0James\u00a0wants to not only increase the visibility of these\u00a0businesses;\u00a0but also, to\u00a0set them up for ongoing, long-term success.<\/span>\u00a0Building and supporting community\u00a0in that way\u2014on\u00a0both\u00a0a\u00a0global and local\u00a0level\u2014is at the core of\u00a0her\u00a0personal\u00a0ethos. Whether it\u2019s by holding corporate America accountable for creating real, tangible equity and inclusion, or\u00a0by\u00a0working with smaller, artisanal, and family-operated businesses to craft shoes, bags, and homeware items, this work is important to James.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think\u00a0one important role that I have\u2014since I’ve been granted\u00a0the platform that I have\u2014is just to continue advocating for people,\u201d the Toronto-native turned L.A. transplant (by way of NYC) explains.\u00a0\u201cOftentimes\u00a0when we think about our communities, we think of the people that we’re most commonly sitting shoulder to shoulder with at a table.\u00a0It’s also important to think about the people who have not yet had access to that room.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tapping into that global community was\u00a0crucial\u00a0to James\u2014and it\u2019s not just lip-service.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think, for me, that was sort of the reason why I wanted to structure Brother\u00a0Vellies\u00a0in the way that we did,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u201cYou know,\u00a0the artisans in Africa and involving them in the conversation\u2014and even in Italy\u2014and really focusing on these communities that have traditional skill sets and integrating them into that fashion conversation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve spent the last year\u00a0and\u00a0change\u00a0at home, our appreciation for our\u00a0home base\u00a0and the need to create safe spaces has become\u00a0ever more important. We are curating our surroundings with thought and intention\u2014becoming\u00a0conscious of the\u00a0items\u00a0we buy.\u00a0At the same time,\u00a0James\u2019s fashion aesthetic has naturally translated into homeware and decor, effortlessly. From her stylish L.A. pad\u2014complete with a Togo chair and an Ingo Maurer fan sconce\u2014to the\u00a0Brother\u00a0Vellies\u00a0brick and mortar, it only makes sense that she would expand into the home. \u201cI’ve always been really in love with the idea of products for the home,\u201d she\u00a0admits.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For those who need more curatorial guidance,\u00a0Brother\u00a0Vellies\u00a0offers a\u00a0subscription service, The Something Special Subscription<\/a>, a monthly made-to-order\u00a0membership, that often includes artisanal home decor items (from ceramic vases to Oaxacan mugs).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy home is incredibly important to me, and I really have always been intentional about only bringing things into the space that I love and cherish,\u201d James\u00a0explains.\u00a0“During the pandemic I wanted to find a way to connect with our customers while they were at home, and it was a home order. I didn’t really feel like it was appropriate to, you know, try to push people to buy shoes, so I thought it would be nice to utilize parts of our own artisan community and parts of their extended network to create small products for home. That was the emphasis behind launching\u00a0Something\u00a0Special.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Inspiration and creativity like that can be hard to muster when the world seems to be\u00a0falling down\u00a0around us. Even though James has always been solutions-oriented, she admits to finding the recent past challenging.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s\u00a0a bit of a struggle,\u201d she admits.\u00a0\u201cA lot is going on:\u00a0at home,\u00a0in Afghanistan.\u00a0There is a lot going on in the world. So, I don’t know that right now I am incredibly inspired to create, like, you know, these over-the-top things.\u00a0I think it’s really about making sure that the brand and that myself, as a founder, are continuing to do what I can to advocate for our consumers in a meaningful way, to make sure that their existence can maintain it, and that we can also have wonderful, beautiful lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As with the very foundation of the\u00a0Brother\u00a0Vellies\/Aurora James universe, materiality\u00a0remains\u00a0key. \u201cI want to make beautiful things along the way, but I think for me, it’s really about looking at really natural materials and making sure that we’re sourcing in a way that feels important, special,\u00a0and helpful to the planet,\u201d she\u00a0says. \u201cIt’s been a big\u00a0material exploration for me…Looking\u00a0into our own\u00a0very brief archive, and really just\u00a0homing\u00a0in\u00a0on the fundamental principles of the brand, I think, is really what’s been inspiring me,\u00a0honestly.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As we wrap up our call,\u00a0I ask James\u00a0a question that is perhaps unexpected:\u00a0\u201cWhat\u00a0do you like to do for fun?\u201d\u00a0We\u2019ve talked about business models, initiatives, fashion,\u00a0and the heaviness in the world today, but surely all of that must be balanced by something lighter?\u00a0Perhaps unsurprisingly, James\u00a0reveals she is\u00a0about to\u00a0bake\u00a0a delicious loaf of banana bread: yet another iteration of her delicious creativity. \u201cI absolutely love to cook dinner at home with friends and go over to other friend’s houses for dinner parties,\u201d\u00a0she says.\u00a0Socially conscious, extremely stylish, ethical fashion pioneer, a heart of gold and a consummate hostess and chef\u2014what can\u2019t she do?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29107,"featured_media":33835,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[17,16],"yoast_head":"\nMulti-hyphenate creative Aurora James is here to make a change.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aurora James, the fashion powerhouse behind Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge, is here to make a change.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aurora Rising: It Appears There is Nothing the Multi-Hyphenate Designer Can't Do\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Aurora James, the fashion powerhouse behind Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge, is here to make a change.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grazia USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-09T15:22:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/09\/AJ_featuredimage.jpg?fit=1280%2C720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/\",\"name\":\"Multi-hyphenate creative Aurora James is here to make a change.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-09T14:33:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-09T15:22:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"Aurora James, the fashion powerhouse behind Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge, is here to make a change.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Aurora Rising: It Appears There is Nothing the Multi-Hyphenate Designer Can’t Do\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/\",\"name\":\"Grazia USA\",\"description\":\"Driving tastemakers in Fashion, Beauty and Culture\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Multi-hyphenate creative Aurora James is here to make a change.","description":"Aurora James, the fashion powerhouse behind Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge, is here to make a change.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Aurora Rising: It Appears There is Nothing the Multi-Hyphenate Designer Can't Do","og_description":"Aurora James, the fashion powerhouse behind Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge, is here to make a change.","og_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/","og_site_name":"Grazia USA","article_modified_time":"2021-09-09T15:22:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/09\/AJ_featuredimage.jpg?fit=1280%2C720","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/","name":"Multi-hyphenate creative Aurora James is here to make a change.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-09-09T14:33:08+00:00","dateModified":"2021-09-09T15:22:06+00:00","description":"Aurora James, the fashion powerhouse behind Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge, is here to make a change.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/aurora-rising-aurora-james\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Aurora Rising: It Appears There is Nothing the Multi-Hyphenate Designer Can’t Do"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/","name":"Grazia USA","description":"Driving tastemakers in Fashion, Beauty and Culture","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Grazia USA","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/33829"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}