Humid, sun-drenched Sydney can seem a world away (or indeed, half a world) from the bustling, grey streets of London. Many dichotomies exist between the two cities, but similarities can be found in the way the surroundings bleed into the everyday style of its respective residents; where London fashion borrows tweed and tailoring from the country set’s pursuits, Sydney’s surf culture bubbles away under the surface of its street style.
At large, nature plays an integral role in Australian fashion — even in a city as vast and cosmopolitan as Sydney, natural and man-made elements co-exist side by side. It’s this invisible thread between the urban and wild that has helped to forge such a distinctive fashion scene. “When you’re exposed to beauty and nature in so many different ways, that comes through in your designs,” explains Adrian Norris, co-founder and creative director of Aje. Harnessing that duality into one tangible garment is something that’s become second nature to Norris and his co-founder and co-creative director Edwina Forest.
Founded in 2008 by Forest and Norris in the idyllic Australian suburb of Noosa, fashion brand Aje has blossomed into one of the country’s most established and sought-after independent clothing labels. Starting with just one shop, their singular vision focused on the collaborative power of juxtaposing elements in more than one sense: combining femininity with a tougher, modern edge; creating timeless pieces with innovative approaches; and, as Norris explains as one of the driving inspirations for the brand, designing with both older and younger generations in mind.
“The beauty of Aje is that different ages can wear it and still feel really proud of it,” Norris explained when I met him for lunch in Sydney’s Surry Hills district. “Mothers and daughters were coming in when we were starting our first store and shopping together, and that was one of our big questions: how do we allow a mum and a daughter to shop the brand and have both of them feel really confident in what they’re wearing?”
It was this thought — alongside Norris’ background in fine art and Forest’s fashion publishing experience — that led the friends to pivot from their first store in Noosa, where they sold international and other Australian brands, and instead start making their own designs. Norris then travelled to Bali to bring their vision of Aje to life. “I realised that there was nothing that suited our customer – who was literally coming from the beach, stopping by the store and wanting to buy something to throw on and go out for a beautiful dinner,” Norris explains. “There was nothing that I could buy [from other brands]; at that stage, resort wear didn’t really exist.”
Norris says the handcrafted skills native to Bali were an intrinsic piece in the birth of the brand. “Back then, it was known as one of the only places in the world where they still made everything by hand,” he explains. “The sequining was all done by hand, all the leather was cut and stitched by hand. You could literally have an idea in the morning, and by the end of the day, someone would have made you a physical representation of that.”
Now, more than 17 years later, the duo’s hands-on approach and meticulous eye for detail has paid off. Aje has expanded into off-shoots Aje Studio, Aje Denim, Aje Athletica and Aje Wedding, without diluting any of its brand DNA as a result. It has an in-house design studio within its airy office space, which sits at the convergence of the Surry Hills and Redfern neighbourhoods in Sydney, giving the pair unmediated access to the whole creative process.
The result is a brand that stands apart in Australia’s fashion space, with romantic, modern designs that are instantly recognisable. Aje aims to produce keepsake pieces that add art into the everyday, whether that’s a billowing, sunset-hued gown — the ideal date for wedding season — or a perfectly cut pair of jeans. “It’s that balance between being beautiful but also being grounded and cool,” says Norris.
Aje Splendour flower gown
Aje Soundscape maxi dress
Aje Twyla midi dress
Forest and Norris have seen the Australian fashion scene change in many ways in the almost two decades that they’ve been a part of it, but their vision for Aje was always ahead of its time – particularly when it comes to mindful consumption. “People have always appreciated quality, but I think now, more people are wanting something that they can’t get from a fast-fashion brand,” Norris says. “We have this thing where we say it’s ‘loved into creation’, and that means that when a dress is made, so many people have gone into that. There have been pattern makers, designers, print designers, painters, Eddie, me, stylists. There’s so much work that goes into it, and I feel like people want to know that story more and more.”
“We’ve seen our customer shop with more intention – there’s been a real shift towards thoughtful, curated choices,” Forest agrees. “She’s still experimental and expressive but there’s a deeper sense of purpose behind each action. It’s less about following trends and more about investing in pieces that resonate emotionally and can live meaningfully in her wardrobe.”
When it comes to the increasing call for sustainability in Australia’s fashion and textile industry, there’s a lot that Forest and Norris have done and continue to do behind the scenes, from the fabrics to the supply chains. “I think the first thing that you can do [to be sustainable] is to make beautiful things,” says Norris. “If you make something really well, it’s going to live through different hands, different people and different generations.”
It’s not just in sustainability that Australian fashion is looking to grow. In recent years, the industry has sought to reaffirm and renew its identity through fashion week, after a lull in designers showing their collections post-Covid. “It’s becoming an inclusive and reflective space for the full spectrum of Australian creativity,” says Forest. “It’s evolved into a platform that highlights emerging talent, embraces sustainability, and celebrates the diverse stories that make up our industry. It’s exciting to be part of.”
Aje’s Resort 26 show reflected this new dawn, and the team chose the picturesque harbour-side location of the new Barangaroo Pier Pavilion as the location. The lapping water was reflected off the oyster-shell terrazzo pillars as the models lithely walked along the tiles with the sky and water meeting to their right. It was the ideal setting for Forest and Norris to bring their collection, titled ‘Impression’, to life.
“The Impressionist era has always deeply resonated with us, and the movement’s emotive approach to colour, light and movement felt like the perfect foundation for Resort 26,” explains Forest. “The focus on nature, femininity and fleeting beauty aligned so closely with the mood we wanted to evoke in this collection. It was about honouring the past, but reimagining it with a modern, sculptural edge that’s distinctly Aje.”
There were indeed echoes of Monet’s floral interpretations in ruched dresses with bubble-hem skirts, in overflowing cloud-like clutches and sequinned A-line mini dresses, while languid watercolour skies suffused through a one-shoulder maxi dress with lustrous pearl detailing. A more untamed nature was present in the designers’ inspiration too, most keenly observed in the fluid ruffles that lapped at the models’ limbs.
Fashion has become a monumental cog in consumerism’s never-ending push for the new and the now, but Aje continues to prove that staying true to its founding ideologies resounds with its loyal customer base and not just allows, but contributes to its continued success. “Even this last show looked like one of our first collections, it hasn’t changed that much. There’s still elements in there with our big, billowing sleeves and all of that leather and sequin work that existed from the start,” says Norris.
“We’re always honouring our foundations but creatively, it’s necessary to push boundaries and deepen the narrative,” adds Forest.
As for what’s next, while the brand’s feet are planted firmly on Australian soil, Norris and Forest have their eyes on broader horizons. Though Aje ships internationally via its website and is stocked by retailers overseas — Net-a-Porter offers a selection of its pieces for fans of the brand in the UK — the duo are looking in new directions to see where the brand can go, and what it can achieve next.
“Now, it’s about how we take Aje out into the world and show other people. We want people to be able to buy into it and see it,” says Norris. “We can’t open any more stores here – we’ve got nearly 50 stores – so it’s at the point now where we’ll be looking overseas to where we can take it… so watch out London…”
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