Australian fashion label Aje is set to open its first international store in Westfield Newmarket in early September.

The 110sqm Auckland store will be opened in the fashion precinct of the Westfield Newmarket redevelopment. New Zealand is the brand’s second-largest market, after Australia. 

“My concept with the business was always that we should try to do every single aspect perfectly before we go into a different territory, or a new category, or anything like that,” Aje co-founder Adrian Norris told Inside Retail.

“For me, New Zealand is the next step, because we’re really solid in Australia and the next close-to-home market is New Zealand. 

“We’ve been getting a lot of traction [in New Zealand], and they’re very much in-sync with what Australians buy. It was kind of a natural fit for us.”

Aje will employ up to eight personal stylists to work in-store, beginning recruitment soon in anticipation of the September launch, which will coincide with the launch of its spring-summer 2019 collection “Vice”. 

The brand will also expand into new categories in the coming months, taking learnings from a soft-launched accessories offering across the whole business, while working on a jewellery offering.

Aje describes itself as a “quintessentially Australian fashion house dedicated to raw beauty, tough femininity, and effortless cool, designed to bridge the gap between urban and coastal style”.