Aje’s ‘Unfurled’ Turns Australian Botanicals Into a Paris Runway World
Aje’s second Paris runway turns Australian botanical forms into a 43-look collection—and then connects the show directly to customer interest. Presented on October 6, Unfurled was created by co-founders Edwina Forest and Adrian Norris in collaboration with Australian artist Vicki Lee and composer Ted O’Donnell.
The collection gives Aje a distinct position at the close of Paris Fashion Week: not an attempt to imitate the codes of a European heritage house, but an international expression of the landscape, art and sculptural femininity that have shaped the Australian label.
What Aje confirmed
Aje describes Unfurled as an exploration of textural craft, fluid movement and the elemental beauty of Australian botanicals. The label’s official runway page lists 43 looks spanning black and ivory tailoring, lace, leather, satin, knitwear, embellished separates and a final sequence of gowns in botanical colors.
The collaboration with Vicki Lee and Ted O’Donnell extends across visual art, fashion and sound. Aje says Lee’s treatment of Australian flora appears across fabric and surface, moving between recognizable plant forms and more surreal imagery. The show took place in Paris on October 6, following Aje’s Paris debut one year earlier.
Independent reporting places the presentation at the Collège des Bernardins and identifies nature, transparency and botanical imagery among its central elements. Where this article discusses business or communications implications, those points are analysis rather than claims made by the brand.
From runway image to product intent
Aje’s digital presentation is notable for connecting every runway look to named products and a “register interest” pathway. The brand explains that customers see the collection after the show, are informed which pieces enter production and receive an opportunity to secure styles before general release.
That structure turns runway attention into measurable demand without pretending every showpiece will reach stores. It also gives the brand a way to identify which silhouettes, colors and categories generate early interest before broader release decisions are finalized.
Paris Runway Official analysis: For an independent label showing in Paris, this is a disciplined alternative to treating the runway as a stand-alone branding expense. The editorial layer remains intact—historic venue, botanical installation and interdisciplinary collaboration—but the customer journey is visible from the beginning. The commercial system does not need to diminish the art; it can help the art travel.
Why the collaboration matters
The Lee and O’Donnell partnership provides more than a decorative reference. Image, surface and sound give Unfurled a coherent world that can extend into campaign content, retail environments and behind-the-scenes storytelling. This matters after fashion week, when a collection must survive beyond the first runway photographs.
The theme also avoids flattening “Australia” into a generic palette or resort cliché. Aje focuses instead on irregularity, resilience and sculptural form in native flora. That gives the brand a precise creative vocabulary while leaving space for the clothes to range from restrained black tailoring to increasingly expressive color and embellishment.
What editors, buyers and PR teams should watch
- Production decisions: Which of the 43 registered-interest looks advance to retail.
- Category balance: Whether tailoring, separates and knitwear expand Aje’s story beyond occasion dressing.
- Collaboration afterlife: How Lee’s imagery and O’Donnell’s sound continue through campaign and store content.
- Paris continuity: Whether a second show becomes a recurring international platform rather than a one-season event.
Aje’s Paris presentation also belongs to a broader season of Australian visibility. Christopher Esber returned to the official calendar on the same day; read Paris Runway Official’s Christopher Esber SS27 briefing for the parallel independent-brand story.