Aje celebrated its fifteenth year in business at a fashion show at the newly opened Sydney Modern Project at Australia’s Art Gallery of New South Wales last week. As it debuted its 2024 resort collection, the Australian luxury fashion label also introduced a new partnership.
The brand has teamed with fellow Australian label Outland Denim on a capsule collection of ethically produced denim staples. Made in Outland’s Cambodian factories, the five-piece line was produced by women workers “from varying backgrounds of vulnerability.” Each piece is made from an organic and recycled cotton lyocell blend using water and chemical-saving washing practices to minimize environmental impact.
Consumers can sign up on either brand’s website to be notified about how to order when the collection is available for purchase in October.
“This brand alignment is everything that Outland Denim could hope for in a collaboration—elevating the skills and esteem of our garment makers in the eyes of the world,” the certified B Corp’s founder James Bartle said. “We are incredibly proud of the collection and the level of technical skill that has been invested by our production team to achieve the final result with its many embedded intricacies. I cannot think of a truer embodiment of female empowerment.”
Speaking of its new Resort line, dubbed “Element,” Aje said the collection “reimagines 15 years of house design codes,” with refreshed versions of its early signatures, including ivory denim with hand-embroidered patchwork, whip stitching across necklines and seams, and pleated, ruffled dresses in bold, bright hues as well as earthy neutral tones.
The collection strives for “a sense of duality anchored in unexpected contrasts” like raw beauty and femininity. The artisan craftsmanship also highlighted the brand’s Australian roots.
Consumers can view the Aje x Outland Denim collection on Aje’s website. A pair of women’s wide-leg jeans with exposed stitching and deep hem cuffs will retail for $375, while an oversized denim shacket with gold metal buttons will cost $325. A short-sleeve, boxy denim top ($275), a low-waisted button-front denim mini skirt ($295) and a pair of denim shorts will round out the collection.
News of the partnership comes just weeks after Outland Denim said it was forced to shutter one of its two Cambodian factories in December. Bartle said that the company’s decision to continue to pay factory employees throughout Covid-related shutdowns in Asia came at an “immense” cost it couldn’t shoulder any longer. Rather than shut down the entire company, Bartle said Outland has laid off some head office staff and cut hours and wages.
“As we all know, the world did not return to ‘normal’ in 2022, and 2023 wasn’t shaping up to be different,” Bartle said. “Things would get worse before they would get better. And after two years of supporting our workers through Covid, and our best efforts to compensate for lost revenue by ramping up our manufacturing services for other brands and diversify our revenue streams, we simply couldn’t do it anymore.”
