The thinking behind it.
Proposed talent examples. Availability, contracts and audience fit require validation.
| Tier | Who | How many | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| House ambassadors | Women with global cultural credibility (actors, musicians, models), ideally with an authentic link to Aje's story | 2–3, annual | Faces of the seasonal narratives, Paris front row, red carpet |
| Friends of Aje | Tastemakers per market: stylists, editors turned creators, artists, chefs, ceramicists, hosts | 15–25 globally | Co-create each narrative, host Aje Table dinners, recurring TikTok and Instagram series |
| Occasion voices | Wedding, event and bridal creators, stylists and planners in each market | 30–50, seasonal | Carry Tier 2 moments such as The Guest List, Spring Racing, Eid |
| Community | Real customers and Aje's own store stylists | Always on | Real weddings and occasions, reviews, styling content |
| Tier | Shortlist | Market | Pillar it builds |
|---|---|---|---|
| House ambassador | Adut Akech: South Sudanese-Australian, Model of the Year 2019, muse to Valentino and Chanel | Global, with an authentic Australian origin | The Aje attitude, Shaped by culture |
| Music and culture partner | Peggy Gou: start by scoring a campaign film or DJing the Paris show after-party, then decide on more | Korea, Europe, US | The Aje attitude, Shaped by culture |
| Friends of Aje | Anastasia Gerrans (US and Paris), Jihoon Kim (Europe and US), Carla Ginola (France), Tamara Al Gabbani (Gulf), Irene Kim (Korea) | Priority markets | The Aje attitude, Dressed for every moment |
| Hosts and makers | Laila Gohar (US, food and table design), Alison Roman (New York), Julia Busuttil Nishimura (Melbourne) | Aje Table cities | Made by hand, Shaped by culture |
| Occasion voices | Paige DeSorbo (US weddings), Soph and Jaz (Australia, proven 181.7K reach), bridal stylists and planners per market | US, Australia | Dressed for every moment |
| One-off moments only | Harriet Herbig-Matten (red carpet if contracts allow), Aon Somrutai (Paris show-week buzz) | Europe, Southeast Asia | — |
How we work with them (Aje mainline):
- Long-term relationships, not per-post deals: annual retainers, product, and access (Paris shows, studio visits, Aje Table dinners).
- Co-creation: their own edit each narrative, a recurring series, a seat at the table rather than a script.
- No discount codes: invitations, early access and member experiences instead, to protect full price; tracked links for measurement.
- Content rights for paid: usage agreed upfront for Spark and partnership ads, so the best creator content is amplified.
- Exclusivity windows against direct competitors during each narrative.
- Measured by: saves and shares, comment quality, branded search lift in their market, follower growth from collaborations, Spark Ad performance and tracked sales.
Aje Studio and Aje Athletica take a different approach: a larger roster of micro-creators and community voices (pilates and tennis instructors, run clubs, work-wear and everyday-style creators), product seeding, affiliate commission, and volume content amplified with Spark Ads. Performance-led, not elevation-led.
The TikTok evidence for this. Aje's own account (36.5K followers, 122.2K likes) gets roughly 800–1,200 views per video, about 2–3% of its followers. The "Pre Aje show with Soph and Jaz" video reached 181.7K views, well over 100 times a typical post. On TikTok, reach goes to people, not brand accounts. So:
- Make people the format: recurring hosts (a Friends of Aje pair) fronting a series, not one-off appearances.
- Post on their channels and amplify: run the best creator posts as Spark Ads from Aje's ad account, so paid spend sits behind content already proven to work.
- Spread it across the year: recent posts cluster around the Paris show; the seasonal moments and fortnightly drops give creators a reason to post all year.
- Measure reach per creator, not follower count: keep the creators whose audiences actually watch, follow and buy.
Two accounts, one problem. A second account, @aje.lifestyle ("the curated world of style and movement, where Aje Studio meets Aje Athletica"), has 8.3K followers and 37.9K likes, with recent videos at roughly 260–500 views. Both accounts post brand-led product content with few creators, so splitting the audience halves a small base without fixing reach. Recommendation: one Aje account with recurring series for each wardrobe (occasion, work and weekend, move), creators carrying the reach on their own channels, and Spark Ads behind what works. That mirrors "one world, three wardrobes", concentrates followers and effort, and still gives each brand its own creative in paid. Separate ad identities per brand can stay where paid media needs them.
Working notes & verification
A first shortlist, by tier. Names to verify before any approach: current deals, exclusivity, audience quality and competing own labels.
Gaps still to close: women aged 30–45, a broader range of body types, and real friendship pairs and generations.