Australian fashion brand Aje embraced the incomparable, effortless glamour and honeyed light of the south of France for its Spring 22 Provenance collection, epitomised by La Colombe d’Or or ‘The Golden Dove’ — a hotel with a rich and vibrant history that involves the most revered and celebrated artists, writers and actors of the 20th century in the picturesque town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence on the French Riviera.
Aje’s Creative Directors Edwina Forest and Adrian Norris wanted to explore the ‘bon vivance’ of the storied hotel and why certain places have a golden energy that draws creatives to them.
Provenance is an ode to a rich cultural moment in time; a sense of place and belonging and a joie de vivre. It embodies the Aje DNA with beautifully evolved techniques, new silhouettes, embellishments framing intricate cut out detailing, bubble hemlines and exaggerated proportions. The pairing of volume and structure further materialises in signature voluminous sleeves, evolved pleating, deconstructed corsetry and braiding.
Founded by Paul Roux and his wife Baptistine in 1931, La Colombe d’Or is a refined and eclectic inn was a home away from home for visitors including Picasso, Matisse and Miró, as well as feminist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir and sculptors César and Calder.
This eccentric melting pot of creatives found their way to the mesmerising setting and, over time, contributed many great works of art that continue to be on display today. It was the golden light of Provence that inspired the artists in residence to see colour in a new way, experimenting with new reliefs and colour palettes.
The mid-20th century was a golden era for art and cinema with the dawn of the Nouveau Vague. The two intertwined at La Colombe D’Or, with Cannes only a short trip away. Dazzling starlets such as Bridgitte Bardot were known to visit, and their enigmatic and feminine beauty permeated the legendary inn.
Aje Collaborates With Artist Chanel Tobler for the Provenance Collection
Aje collaborated with multidisciplinary artist Chanel Tobler for its Provenance collection for five of Aje’s statement styles. Entitled the Expression Print, the first print of Provenance has been developed especially for the collection, it is reminiscent of artists lost in reverie, sketching on restaurant tablecloths under the honeyed light of golden hour, the print speaks to the storied hotel, frequented by an eclectic mix of philosophers, painters, literary figures throughout its history.
An ongoing artistic collaborator of Aje, Tobler states that drawing is the medium, cornerstone and springboard for all of her multidisciplinary techniques; ‘the most direct and immediate way to convey and release’ her unique visual language. The quick, expressive and raw medium is realised in bright energetic colours and palettes; her abstract, charged and at times suggestive approach distinguishes Tobler’s body of work. Drawn pastel marks are softened by the inclusion of oil, creating painterly washed strokes, motivated and infused by the Provenance collection.
Infusing contemporary pops of colour with a palette of soft pastels, this watercolour artwork sees languid florals unfurl with unhurried, abstract lines, embodying late afternoons brimming with bon vivance.
According to Tober, the print was about conjuring a “rich succulent summer in places that have been far to reach for some time now.”
“Importance was placed on colours that looked as though you could consume or be completely immersed by them,” Tober said in a press release. “I imagined sitting at a lunch table in the courtyard of La Colombe d’Or, the air warm, the vibrancy of the everything alive, the intensity of being taken by the moment, and the relishing of a meal so delicious everything feels at once content.”
Tobler’s ceramics and sculptural fixtures are present within the Aje HQ and featured within the Aje retail network in Australia and New Zealand. Her live, interactive art immersion formed Aje’s Resort 20, ‘Chroma’ Visual Experience and Aje’s Spring Summer 21 ‘Modernist’ campaign exhibited a bespoke Chanel Tobler print.
The Provenance collection is in stores now. Peep the collection in the gallery above.
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