Journal

Aurora James on Creating Meaningful Change

Designer, author, and activist Aurora James has long approached fashion as a way of understanding culture, identity, and the world around her. In 2013, she founded Brother Vellies, the CFDA-winning label born from her work with artisans across Southern Africa and first introduced at a small flea market stall on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Seven years later, she launched the Fifteen Percent Pledge, the nonprofit initiative urging major retailers to dedicate at least fifteen percent of their purchasing power to Black-owned businesses and an effort that has since grown into a powerful network supporting thousands of entrepreneurs.

We joined Aurora at home in Los Angeles, where we chatted about the early lessons that shaped her understanding of fashion, on pushing forward to create meaningful change, and what continues to inspire her work today.

You’ve shared that your earliest understanding of the world came through fashion, through the stories your mother told you about the origins and meaning behind the things she wore. How did those early experiences shape the way you see fashion today?

My mom always talked to me about fashion being an art form. That made me really curious about items that were made and things that people chose to wear, and then thinking about what they were then saying to the world by making those choices. I now know as an adult that not everyone is that deep about it, but because she really taught me about fashion from an anthropological aspect, I really do think about culture and gender and ideology and religion and all of these things, nature and how they play out in different garments. And, in the same way that your sense of smell is the strongest scent tied to memory, for me, fashion and different elements like color, materials, patterns, prints, and textures are all really tied to different places in the world and my own memories.

Aurora wears the Lelia Nightgown with the Thea Cashmere Cardigan

As a female founder, you’ve built institutions that have reshaped the fashion industry and more. How has your experience as a woman informed the way you lead and create?

At the CFDA, I'm so happy that we're seeing more and more female designers enter the space and also be recognized for their incredible achievements. It still blows my mind how few female designers there are. From a consumer standpoint and as a lover of fashion, women have a different touch when it comes to clothes.

What the Pledge has accomplished so far is extraordinary, awarding $1 million in grants to Black-owned businesses just last year and fostering a growing community of 10,000 entrepreneurs. What has inspired or surprised you most as you’ve watched it grow?

Working on the pledge for the past five years has been super rewarding, at times heartbreaking, and ultimately, monumentally impactful. What surprises me most is that we're still in a place where the work is necessary. I was really hoping that progress would continue with upward momentum, but we're seeing that a lot of progress we've made in different areas—whether it's racial justice, economic justice, LGBTQ rights, body positivity, bodily autonomy—unfortunately much of the progress is getting clawed back from us. That part really is a shame. We really just have to focus on trying to maintain the legacy of the work that we have done and finding ways, even if they're small, to keep moving forward against such strong tides.

What are the most meaningful ways to support the 15 Percent Pledge today?

The most meaningful way to support the Pledge—or any nonprofit that's in alignment with your values—is making a donation, whether it’s $5 or a recurring monthly donation. No amount is too small, truly.

Aurora wears the Ischia Dress

In the moments when the work feels difficult, what helps you continue to push forward and believe in the future you’re helping to build?

Always remembering that things ebb and flow. There's going to be periods where the work is really hard and grueling, and there will be other periods where you're wondering where the work is and how to find it. Staying in the moment and dealing with what's immediately in front of you is truly important. And acknowledging that if you’re feeling burnt out, that it's probably not going to be that way for forever, yet still remembering that you have to make sure that your health doesn't get pushed to the back.

What Black designers, artists, or founders are you especially excited about right now?

I'm very excited about Pierre Laborde. He sells handbags out of a stall in the flea market in uptown Manhattan that generates huge lines around the block. I am a huge lover and admirer of Danessa Myricks, and lately I've been wearing a lot of a brand called Don't Let Disco.