If you love shoes, bohemian design, and sustainability, Brother Vellies may be your favourite new brand. A sustainable line of shoes for men, women, and children, Aurora James is the mastermind behind the elegant and ethically produced shoe line. Based in Brooklyn, James sources her materials from small farmers and artisans across Africa.
Why is this signifigant? Not only is she making the world a chicer place with her slippers, sandals, and booties, she's directly effecting the economies of developing African nations while thoughtfully producing her line, the antithesis of the global fast-fashion culture the world is intrinsically tied to today.
Growing up an only child, James has been exposed to different cultures since childhood, living in destinations such as Jamaica, Canada, and California. After a trip throughout Africa with some of her closest friends, she was inspired by traditional boots called ‘vellies’ often made from suede to withstand the harsh desert climates.
Since 2013, James has had an exciting couple of years. Undoubtedly one of the hottest labels to show at the most recent New York Fashion Week, her Spring/Summer 2016 collection is now available to preorder on one of the most exclusive women’s fashion e-commerce platforms, Moda Operandi.
She was recently in Dubai for the 3rd annual Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience as a Who’s On Next nominee. An initiative backed by local real estate powerhouse Emaar (Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, Address Hotel) and Vogue Italia, Brother Vellies subsequently won the Vogue Talents contest while visiting The Gulf.
Within 48 hours of her win in Dubai, James flew back to her home base in New York City to be one of the three CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners. For the first time in the history of the prestigious CFDA awards, three winners were announced rather than one and two runner ups. As a result, James will receive a USD $300,000 grant and mentorship from some of the top designers in the industry.
Amidst this exciting week for Brother Vellies, we caught up with James at the Dubai Mall where key pieces of her latest Brother Vellies collection were on display for visitors and press alike. Calm and cool, James spent the afternoon before the fashion show leaned back in a chair, wrapped in a shall amongst a sea of her coveted African-made shoes. She spoke of inspiration, travel, and what luxury means to her and her customer base today.
Zendaya and Aurora James at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards wearing Brother Vellies
Your line is very destination based, with the collection being produced in Kenya, South Africa, and Namibia. At what point did you become inspired for your line?
Well I always travelled a lot as a child, my mom is a bit of a nomad and she would always talk to me about different cultural apparel while we were travelling. She had an amazing wardrobe; beautiful kimonos from Japan and mukluks from Inuit people in Northern Canada. I’ve always been inspired about different cultural trends and I think with my [Brother Vellies] shoes, it’s all about amazing places and being inspired and building with the styles that are intuitive to the people in those places. I also grew up in Toronto, Canada and Jamaica.
Did the Caribbean have an influence on your design style?
I consider Jamaica to be a part of the African diaspora, and it definitely has a lot of strong influences, and I think that living in Jamaica really prepped me for working in Africa.
Your shoes are very luxurious in terms of quality and unique design, do you feel that the definition of luxury fashion and accessories have changed over the years?
I think that what has changed is with so much social media now, people define luxury just by having it be a designer label, and the general population doesn’t understand that luxury is a state of being, not just a name. A high-end label can put out something that’s not luxury at all, and just because it has a high-end label on it doesn’t make it luxury. I think there’s a misunderstanding that has permeated pop culture a little bit, and I think it’s great that consumers are beginning to understand that luxury is really more about artisanal [items] and quality; about really putting the extra effort in.
Artisanal is becoming more commonly desired by those passionate about luxury and fashion. Do you feel like those people have helped Brother Vellies grow?
I think there’s definitely a huge movement of people who are real fashion followers who really think about and know about the processes that go into things, and I think that’s a huge part of my customer base.
Was there a certain destination that particularly inspired you?
Kenya is really inspiring to me, and I love Morocco. It’s crazy because with Africa, there are so many different countries and they’re all so completely different. What was hard for me to see in Morocco were all the people wearing ‘weird’ clothing; a lot of American clothing brands that are popular in the Western world.
That was very disheartening to me, because I think that African culture is so amazing, but they’re just not into it because Kanye’s not wearing their cultural apparel. For me, that was a moment where I said “wow”… It makes you realize how small the world is.
I love culture and I love the idea of preserving culture, and that’s a big idea in Canada so for me it was about: how can we take these cultural items and make them popular in America? Then in turn make them popular again in their own country.
Are there any destinations on your bucket list you’re pining to visit?
I’d love to go to Egypt to check it out. I’d really like to go back to Namibia because it is such a beautiful place with amazing landscapes. St. Barths and Cuba are both on my list. I travel so much for work that sometimes I would just like to travel for vacation, and go somewhere where I’m literally just relaxing for five days on the beach. I haven’t had that vacation for many years, so I think I’ll be heading to Cuba for New Years Eve.
Aurora James and Simonetta Gianfelici at the Designer Showcase during the Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience