Brother Vellies names CEO

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Mar 25, 2022

Brother Vellies has named Behnaz Ghahramani as the label’s first chief executive officer. 

In this new role, Ghahramani will work directly with founder and creative director, Aurora James, to carry on Brother Vellies reputation as a purposeful, sustainably driven company that supports artisans.

Ghahramani joins the company from Stuart Weitzman, where she served as chief marketing officer overseeing brand strategy, marketing communications and e-commerce globally. Prior to that, she worked at Ralph Lauren as VP for global, marketing of luxury collections, Lauren and licensing brands, as well as at Gucci, as director of marketing for the Americas. 

“I could not be more proud to announce that Behnaz is joining our team,” said James, in a post on Instagram. “She is an incredible and brilliant light whose dedication to uplifting women and outstanding body of work speaks for itself. I’m over the moon with excitement to enter this next chapter of BV with such a phenomenal partner by my side.” 

James launched Brother Vellies with $3,500 in savings at a market in the Lower East Side, in 2013. Since then, she has created artisanal jobs across the globe, keeping traditional African design practices, and techniques alive. She is also the founder of The 15 Percent Pledge, which aims to get more brands and retailers to support Black-owned brands and designers.

"It is rare to find a partner that has the same drive, same passion, same unwavering determination to not only succeed but also to do things differently, to do better, and to have a positive impact in the world,” said Ghahraman, in a post on Instagram. 

“Aurora is such an inspiration to me on so many levels, not only is she an incredibly talented designer and creative visionary, but she has been a critical leader in our industry championing for diversity.”