Founded in 2008 by friends Adrian Norris and Edwina Forest, Aje is a contemporary Australian fashion brand dedicated to femininity and effortless cool. As pioneers of Australia's urban style, Aje has a curated mix of effortless essentials and special occasion pieces, each crafted with sensitivity to detail. Building on their mutual love of the arts, the duo bring similar ideas with seasonal collections to their sense of duality; balancing toughness with femininity, untamed volume with structure, and striking pieces combined with effortless essentials. In doing so, Aje takes the world's most stylish trends and mixes them with ultra-chic finishes. As pioneers of Australia’s coastal to urban style, Aje believes in mixing the essential staples of one’s wardrobe, with the occasional statement piece to stand out, both made from luxurious qualities. This is what the designer pair makes the main focus of each season, balancing firmness with femininity.
Aje has stores in West and South Australia, New South Wales, Melbourne, Queensland, and Auckland. The team’s design process is based on the art of tailoring and hand-crafting heritage items from a passion for artisanal insights. Aje’s design comprises traditional techniques and high-quality design, using hand-painted prints and natural fabrics that are derived from intricate sketches. Aje takes its designs from paper to garment, handcrafting pieces using watercolour and acrylic designs that are translated into digital form. “Aje Aware” Pillars of Ethics Going against trends, Aje makes sure to design its pieces that stand the test of time. Since the beginning, Aje has worked closely with its artisan garment makers in Bali and China, and worked from the Bali studio themselves in the early years. Taking inspiration from Australia’s multicultural population, Aje takes inspiration from inclusion and community. The brand is also deeply committed to the conservation of the environment, and advocates for Australia’s most pressing issues such as the droughts and bushfires on the land. As a result, Aje has established the eight “Aje Aware” pillars of ethics to minimise the brand’s environmental impact. This year, Aje hired its first Sustainability Officer to work closely with its partners and monitor supply chain operations. These pillars include: upholding its code of conduct, protecting its artisans, maintaining a positive fashion future, honouring the indigenous culture, promoting diversity, designing with sustainable practices, eliminating non-recyclables, and reducing waste.
Sustainable Design Process Aje prides itself on its use of natural fibers in its designs, ranging from organic cottons, which are GOTS certified, to linens and wools. These fibers make up the foundation of each collection, however the brand openly states that not all fobers currently meet its goals for recyclability and sustainability. Aje uses jersey fabric because no pesticides, herbicides or industrial inputs that poison the air, soil, water, workers or our skin are used in its organic production. The brand also continues to increase its use of organic cotton, Tencel viscose, and recycled polyester. Aje is also striving to seek out more fiber and fabric certifications that can attest to the brand’s commitment to environmentally sustainable textiles.