Aurora James has been traveling to South
Africa since she started her sustainable New York–based shoe label, Brother Vellies, and made
a brief pitstop in Kenya on one of her many production trips to the region. It
was there that she was inspired to create the latest addition to her label, the
Tyre sandal, a style based on the footwear of the Maasai which is made from
repurposed car tires. Here, the model agent turned designer shares a photo diary
of her return voyage to the country earlier this month, including a
behind-the-scenes look at the artisanal workshops in Nairobi where the shoes
are made by hand and a camping expedition on the sweeping plains of Kenyan
nature reserve Maasai Mara.
A person’s collection of books speaks volumes
about them. I always love browsing Paul and Penny’s collections at their space,
Ngong House, in Nairobi.
The voodoo practices and rituals in Benin
fascinate me. A lot of my references for spring 2015 come from images of the
annual festivals they hold there.
My boyfriend and I stayed overnight in a tent at
the Maasai Mara for three nights at Sala’s Camp. Through all of my trips to
Africa, this was the first time I’ve ever been on safari. These lions were
getting in a supreme cat nap at dusk.
One of the seven different flights involved during
my two weeks in Kenya. Here I am having my Gone with the Wind moment dressed in
a look by New York design duo William Okpo.
A visit with an artisan we work with. His workshop
is in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Nairobi and home to over 1 million
people, much of whom are unemployed. Out of this place he creates some of the
most beautiful things I have ever seen. This season he hand-carved over 500
beads for us from bone.
Incorporating hand-worked brass, bone, and horn
into spring 2015. His daughter likes to sit in on all design meetings to
approve.
This is my first season working with Nile perch.
Most fish leathers are by-products of the edible fish industry. It’s a great
sustainable leather to source from local farmers in Kenya.
My Ngong House treehouse in Nairobi. The most
tranquil hideout.
An orphan rhino at the David Sheldrick Wildlife
Trust. I couldn’t leave here without adopting the sweetest orphan elephant,
baby Sokotei.
Giraffe Manor is easily one of the most magical
places in the world. It’s home to a couple dozen of the endangered Rothschild
giraffes as well as the unsung heroes of Giraffe Manor, the warthogs.
Tea time at the Manor.
Hellen the giraffe was my constant companion
during our stay.
Getting ready to board our flight to Lamu and
Malindi. This airport always feels a thousand world’s away from the hustle and
bustle of JFK.
On the coast, we use local tuk-tuk vehicles to get
around. They’re basically motorcycles with cabins. This is my view from the
tuk-tuk whizzing by the local shops in town.
First order of business at the workshop: summer
sandal reorders. Our Tyre sandals utilize recycled car tires for the soles and
are based on a style the Maasai people wear. This style was the basis of me
deciding to move our production to Kenya.
My personal favorite tuk-tuk in town.
Our women artisans at the workshop. They hail from
a variety places in Kenya and are a mix of different tribes, ages, and
religions.
The views on Kenya’s coast consistently provide
the best beach picnics in the world.
A Maasai friend in our checkers Tyre sandals. We
talk a lot about their traditions and the education issues in the Maasai Mara
where they hail from. With Brother Vellies we hope to set up an initiative to
help expand the education opportunities for children growing up in the Maasai Mara.
After a ton of hard work on everyone’s part, our
production is a wrap! This is a shot of one of our women carrying out our Moda
Operandi order. Those sandals, along with our new collection, begin their long
journey back to New York City and into the hands of our amazing customers.
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