On the runway and in campaign assets, the collection treated Minnie’s visual language with care and scale. Aje partnered with Swarovski to hand-embellish three looks with more than 26,000 crystals, echoing the sparkle of outback skies and the movement of Minnie’s rhythmic linework. Shot on location in Utopia, the campaign’s desert light and horizons reinforced the origin of the designs, not as generic prints but as living storylines of the Alyawarre and Anmatyerre women of Atnwengerrp. Fashion press called out both the craft and the context: Fashion Journal highlighted the Swarovski collaboration, the Art Gallery of NSW debut, and the decision to film on Minnie’s Country, while RUSSH described the presentation as “like a dream.”
The response was immediate and wide. Broadsheet framed Awelye as a maturation point for Aje—“time to sit up and listen”—and noted that the label was preparing international presentations in New York and Paris with the Australian Fashion Chamber, signalling global attention to Aje’s art-driven direction. In interviews, Edwina Forest spoke explicitly about Minnie’s influence and the intention to bring her connection to land into the work. As Marie Claire captured, “Our Resort 2017/18 collection was inspired by Minnie and named Awelye, which means women’s ceremonies in her language, Anmatyerre. We wanted to capture Minnie’s powerful connection to the land.” Together, those stories made Awelye more than a seasonal moment; it showed how fashion could carry First Nations culture into everyday life—on bodies, in stores, and across international press.
