Aurora James, the designer behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s widely publicized “Tax the Rich” dress at the 2021 Met Gala, is facing a lawsuit from event planners who claim they were left unpaid more than $1 million.
James drew national attention after the left-wing congresswoman wore the gown at the event. The outfit was reportedly arranged at the request of longtime Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who instructed a designer to “dress AOC for the Met.”
The California-based street artist, who is also known as The Velvet Bandit, has been sued in Manhattan Supreme Court alongside her nonprofit, The 15 Percent Pledge. The plaintiffs are The Gathery, a high-end event planning company.
The planners allege that James urged them to keep working on a million-dollar gala she was organizing, despite her company allegedly falling behind on payments. The guest list included high-profile names such as Meghan Markle.
According to the lawsuit, the total bill reached $1.5 million. Although initial payments were made, the plaintiffs claim those payments eventually stopped.
The filing alleges that, after two consecutive payments were missed, James “personally directed the project and repeatedly induced TGI to continue performing even after payment defaults had begun.”
It further claims that she approved changes that increased the event’s cost while assuring the planners they would be paid, without providing security for those promises.
The February 7 gala was hosted by CNN anchor Abby Phillip and honored Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother. Markle and Kimora Lee Simmons were among the reported attendees.
Aurora James (pictured right), who created Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s famous “Tax the Rich” dress for the 2021 Met Gala, is being sued by event planners who say they are owed more than $1 million
James (pictured), a California-based street artist also known as The Velvet Bandit, was sued in Manhattan Supreme Court along with her nonprofit, The 15 Percent Pledge, by luxury event planners The Gathery
Barry O’Connell, an attorney representing The Gathery, told Mediaite that his clients were disappointed by what they say has happened to The 15 Percent Pledge, a nonprofit established to support Black-owned businesses.
“The Gathery was always excited about the relationship with 15 Percent Pledge. They were personal donors to the cause. There’s a lot of hypocrisy here,” he said.
Our News Outlet has contacted The 15 Percent Pledge for comment.
Ocasio-Cortez attended the Met Gala with her then-boyfriend, Riley Roberts, after preparing at The Carlyle Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
At the time, she highlighted a sharp increase in Google searches for the phrase “tax the rich.”
In an Instagram post, she wrote: “Surge in people looking up and discussing our f****d up tax code and how we fix it so we can fund childcare, healthcare, climate action and student loan forgiveness for all? Aurora James understood the assignment.”
However, the congresswoman faced criticism from people who accused her of using the event to enjoy the spotlight while presenting her appearance as a political protest. Critics described it as another example of what they called tone-deaf hypocrisy.
Ocasio-Cortez, who previously appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair, drives a $35,000 Tesla and has described herself as “100% grass roots from the Bronx,” despite growing up in a wealthy New York City suburb.
Benjamin Bronfman, Aurora James, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Riley Roberts leave the 2021 Met Gala
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In a proud Instagram post about the event and her choice of outfit, AOC said: ‘The medium is the message. Proud to work with Aurora James as a sustainably focused, Black woman immigrant designer who went from starting her dream Brother Vellies at a flea market in Brooklyn to winning the CFDA against all odds – and then work together to kick open the doors at the Met. The time is now for childcare, healthcare, and climate action for all. Tax the Rich.
‘And yes, BEFORE anybody starts wilding out – NYC elected officials are regularly invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing our city’s cultural institutions that serve the public.
‘I was one of several in attendance. Dress is borrowed via Brother Vellies.’
Brother Vellies, James’ luxury brand, is often worn by celebrities such as Beyoncé, Meghan Markle, Zendaya, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, according to the brand’s website.
Ocasio-Cortez was asked by a congressional ethics panel to repay costs associated with her Met Gala appearance in 2025.
The House Ethics Committee released a sprawling 26-page report into AOC’s lavish trip and recommended she pay $3,000. Once she does the probe will be considered finished.
That same dress, along with some accessories from designer Brother Vellies, should’ve cost the progressive over $3,700 in rental fees, the report found.
Her team only paid $990 for the dress, shoes, jewelry, handbag, floral headpiece, according to the committee.
It claimed that the fair market rental price of the dress was just under $3,000, but AOC’s team only paid $300. The tickets to attend the event that year cost $35,000 each.
‘While the Committee did not find that Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s violations were knowing and willful, she nonetheless received impermissible gifts and must bear responsibility for the other conduct that occurred with respect to the delays in payment,’ the report states.
The 10-member ethics panel also concluded that AOC’s ‘conduct was inconsistent with House Rules, laws, and other standards of conduct.’
