Search....
CTRL+K
Search....
CTRL+K
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 Aurora 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, Aurora 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 Aurora James 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, Aurora has been awarded the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Founders Award, and named to the 2021 TIME100 and the 2020 Bloomberg 50.
Aurora currently splits her time between New York City and Los Angeles with her dog, Mr. Chow.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on Twitter
In order to view the below you must be logged in.
Felice Garcia, renowned for her Carrie Underwood tribute in Las Vegas, has graced stages from Broadway to international waters, with a career highlight of entertaining U.S. troops in the Middle East. Felice Garcia is well known for her jaw-dropping Carrie performances in Las Vegas where she performed as Carrie with the American Superstars production at […]
Paris Norriss is not your average TV personality and public figure – fuelled by insatiable curiosity and thirst for adventure, this Dubai-based force of nature is unstoppable. From early on in his life, being conventional was never in the cards for him and that’s one of the few things he never dared to try. Growing […]
David Houle is a futurist, thinker and keynote speaker. He has always been slightly ahead of the curve. Houle is consistently ranked as one of the top futurists and futurist keynote speakers on the major search engines. He has keynoted numerous conferences across the country and internationally. In the last seven years he has delivered […]
Dr. Rebecca Heiss is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, author, and expert in evolutionary biology who brings a fresh and dynamic perspective to leadership, communication, and workplace culture. With a background in research and a passion for making science accessible and applicable to everyone, Dr. Heiss is on a mission to empower organizations to thrive […]
Seth Mattison is a renowned business strategist and keynote speaker who has dedicated nearly two decades to studying business performance, transformation, and leadership within some of the world’s most renowned brands. With a profound understanding of the evolving landscape of work, Seth is on a mission to shape the future of work, making it more […]
Duena Blomstrom is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, author, and co-founder of PeopleNotTech, a global media and tech scale-up dedicated to improving psychological safety, emotional intelligence (EQ), and peak performance in modern workplaces. She is the mastermind behind concepts such as “Emotional Banking” and “Human Debt,” reshaping the way organizations perceive human capital in the […]
Adrian Gostick is an expert in corporate culture, employee relations, and human resources management. With a prolific track record of successful publications, Adrian is renowned globally as a foremost thought leader in his field. His books, including “The Best Team Wins,” “All In,” and “The Carrot Principle” (a New York Times regular bestseller), illuminate the […]
Nidhi Tewari is a dynamic and influential figure in the realm of workplace culture and wellbeing. With a unique blend of clinical expertise and a decade-long immersion in therapy, she stands at the intersection of mental health advocacy and organizational development. Nidhi brings a wealth of experience garnered from her specialized work with high-performing leaders, […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Speakers Inc.
All talent fees exclude VAT, travel and accommodation where required.
Our Mission:
© All rights reserved 2025. Designed using Voxel
