For the brand’s tenth anniversary sojourn, designers Adrian Norris and Edwina Forrest of Aje drew aesthetic inspiration from the works of late artist Brett Whitely.

In collaboration with Brett’s former wife and muse Wendy, Aje yesterday hosted an intimate 18/19 resort show inside the estate holder’s namesake Secret Garden.

Aptly titled Woman, the MBFWA adjacent offering celebrates the artist’s prolific legacy, strengthening the ever reciprocal relationship between art and fashion.

A sartorial culmination of one decade’s worth of garmentry, looks bore evidence of the duo’s dedication to craftsmanship and artisanal detail work, with five of Whitely’s paintings informing the collection’s fabric palette.

“Brett’s art works have so rarely been used and definitely not in a fashion collaboration,” Forrest told the Daily Telegraph. “It was a really a timing thing for us this year.”

“The results speak for themselves … we are excited for people to be able to buy and wear the pieces and to be wearing the work of one of Australia’s greatest artists,” added Norris.

Structured shift dresses and ruffled minis accompanied floorsweaping jumpsuits, pantsuits and prairie skirts, with billowy sleeved blouses and jackets taking centre stage.

Further reinforcing the brand’s intrinsic link to fashion, Redken were once again on hand to curate accompanying hair looks, with Headcase Hair’s Jon Pulitano leading Hair Direction for the inspired occasion.

“I’m so excited to be here again this year with Redken,” enthused Jon. “The look that we’re creating is really modern – with a soft, natural texture.’

Working with models’ natural hair shape, Redken’s Rootful Rootlifting Spray was worked through strands to create a textured base.

“Rootfull was applied to the roots for texture. We then smoothed the hair out bit before lightly tonging it. The idea is to create a flat texture – think flat, soft curls [rather than structured curls].”

Apart from Rootfull, hero products also included Redken’s Fashion Work 12 Hairspray (a Fashion Week staple) and Pillow Proof 2 Day Extender; “When we’ve finished styling, we’re spraying through Pillow Proof to create more of a flyaway texture around the crown.”

“We’re keeping the lengths natural though nice and tight around the face. I’ve left two pieces of hair to drop down the side of the face, with the rest tucked behind the ears – it gives a nice flowey vibe when models walk down the runway.”

Stay tuned for The Journal’s coverage of MBFWA.

Visit: https://redken.com.au

Image Credit: Monica Buscarino