Mickalene Thomas Collaborates With Brother Vellies

Mickalene Thomas has collaborated with Brother Vellies to produce five styles of limited edition shoes. The shoes are on display at the Proposition Gallery as part of a popup installation curated by Thomas. Brother Vellies are among the seven collaborators selected by Thomas for decopolis: the talent of others.

“Mickalene and I met because she was a fan of the line and came over to my house to buy some shoes,” said creative director Aurora James. “I think she found out about us through a feature in T Mag and just kind of fell in love with the idea.”

Vellies are named for an African shoe called Veldskoen, and are made in Swakopmund, Namibia. The shoes are made of vegetable-dyed Kudu leather. “(Mickalene) started coming over regularly and we’d take her textiles and my leather and kind of piece together these shoes that we were super stoked about. We made five for this installation but probably could have kept going forever.”

The shoes are on display through Feb. 24 and can be pre-ordered through the gallery or through Brother Vellies. Only 25 pairs are available in each style. The exhibition also features works by guest artists David Antonio Cruz, Roddy Fitzgerald, Elisabeth Gaffaney, Jayson Keeling, Vincent Oquendo, and Nina Ziefvert.