Brother Vellies

Championing values has become one of fashion’s favourite marketing tools. But as brands get more political, they also have an opportunity to drive real impact.

Four months after renewed demands for racial justice hit the fashion and beauty industries, what — beyond symbolic gestures — has been done, and what will it take to make initiatives like the 15 Percent Pledge work?

Supa Cent, founder of The Crayon Case, has grown the company into a multimillion-dollar business that’s spawned numerous copycats – without the help of investors or retailers

As the US sinks into further turmoil over the death of another black man by the hands of the police, the Brother Vellies owner is asking the fashion industry to do more to combat systemic racism.

The model’s enduring success for streetwear brands and niche labels alike may be a lesson to those that have treated it simply as a marketing gimmick.