Label to watch – Brother Vellies

  |   18-09-2016

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Brother Vellies was founded by Aurora James with the goal of introducing the rest of the world to her favourite traditional African footwear and handbags, while also creating and sustaining artisanal jobs within Africa. Handmade in South Africa, Kenya and Morocco, Brother Vellies creates boots, shoes, sandals and bags in styles that maintain the spirit and durability of their ancestral counterparts. At the workshop in South Africa, a small group of men and women, of all genders, sexual orientation, backgrounds and tribes, assemble a few dozen pairs of shoes a day by hand, using techniques refined over multiple generations.

Currently based in Brooklyn, James’ finds herself travelling to and throughout Africa – particularly South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Morocco – every few months to work with the local artisans, experience the diverse culture of the continent and discover new inspirations for the brand. James sources her leather, fur, and bone from animal by-product (animals that have already been farmed for food).

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After last season’s Palma shoulder bag that was a smash hit sell out, the ethically-committed brand has debuted six new styles for Spring 2017. Watch out for a petite number in blush python, sourced from Nigeria, or a polished carryall tote. A barrel bag in cotton candy-hued Mongolian lamb is a glossy new look.

As for footwear: a groovy pink platform oxford, a ’70s-inflected homage to James’s civil rights-minded mother, woven leather slides and a classic penny loafer. One came in blush leather, with a Kenyan coin tucked into the vamp; the second was whipped up in sky-blue denim crafted from jeans and bejewelled with chunky gems.

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By Hershey Pascual