Aurora James

Aurora James, Creative Director and Founder of luxury accessories brand Brother Vellies and founder of the non-profit advocacy organization, Fifteen Percent Pledge, has long worked to make the global economy a more equitable place for historically excluded groups.

Brother Vellies was founded in 2013 with the goal of keeping traditional African design practices and techniques alive. The brand supports artisan communities around the world, creating timeless pieces that celebrate various cultural histories and honor the individuals that make them through fair labor practices and job creation. The first Brother Vellies collection was a single style of vellies that James sold at the Hester Street Fair in New York. Today, Brother Vellies is handmade across the globe and has expanded into handbags and other accessories categories, including a home goods subscription service, Something Special.

In June 2020, James founded the Fifteen Percent Pledge, a non-profit advocacy organization that is closing the racial wealth gap by partnering with retailers to diversify their shelves and commit 15 percent of their purchasing power to Black-owned businesses. Under James’s leadership, what initially began as an Instagram post has now expanded to a full-fledged organization with ten full-time staff members. To date, the Pledge has partnered with nearly 30 major companies across industries, including Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta Beauty and more. By 2030, the organization aims to drive $1.4 trillion of wealth generation by Black entrepreneurs and increase Black business representation by 14.6 percent.

As a result of her advocacy work, James has been awarded the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Founders Award, and named to the 2021 TIME100 and the 2020 Bloomberg 50.

James currently splits her time between New York City and Los Angeles with her dog, Mr. Chow.