This past September, Kanye West attended Brother Vellies' New York Fashion Week presentation—one of the very few NYFW events West actually attended. So what is Brother Vellies? i-D magazine recently interviewed founder Aurora James about her conscious footwear company known for its African-inspired designs and her new charity project, which aims to empower locals of Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria.
Through James' time in these countries, she's noticed the tremendous damage that well-intentioned clothing donation efforts have had on the local clothing manufacturing and sales economy. Her response was to take some of these same discarded pieces and upcycle them, rebranding them as vintage collectible pieces, then sell them back to customers in the U.S.
"As long as we continue to bog Africa down with our unwanted goods we will be hindering its ability to become self-sufficient," James said in an interview with i-D detailing the project. "I've always been a fan of trade over aid."
According to her, there are piles of DKNY shirts and Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirts from the '90s in Kenya that need new homes. Keep checking back on Brother Vellies' online shop and see if you can get lucky and find one for yourself.
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