Australian fashion house Aje presents Fractal, a film directed by BAFTA and Emmy nominated filmmaker Shannon Murphy (Baby Teeth, 2019; Killing Eve, 2020), and featuring rising screen stars Mia Healey (The Wilds), Melanie Jarnson (Mortal Kombat), Krew Boylan (Seriously Red), Sophie Wilde (Portable Door) and more.
Showcasing the Pre-Fall 2022 Biophilia collection in an innovative move and true to the brands commitment to honouring the arts, the fashion film is entitled Fractal and is a collaboration with the female led production company Dollhouse Pictures.
Helmed by profoundly Deaf, non-verbal newcomer Emawayat ‘Emi’ Elmitt, the film is centred around Elmitt’s use of movement, signs, and shapes. Elmit is the conjugate to self-expression alongside contemporary dance, in this film without dialogue.
Elmit is Ethiopian born and relocated to Australia via adoption and evolving to ‘signing’ late in life. Her trajectory has been influenced by her vibrant and close-knit family and community who were involved and consulted in devising this work. This is Emi’s first time on camera acknowledging she “loved how the crew welcomed her”. The team collaborated with Elmit to create a unique series of signs- movements and shapes inspired by her own abstract interpretation of the precis of the fashion and the film.
Fractal is a symphony of fashion, movement, dance, signs, and an ode to the environments we create for ourselves and through connecting with others. The movements capture fluidity within the human drive to express oneself – Emi becomes a vehicle for expressionism.
Opening the film, we hear a pentatonic beat as we peer into an interior filled with a Kaleidoscope of shapes, colours, and design. The pull towards the infinite untamed is inherent in the Aje brand and this comes to life through alignment of fashion, nature, and manmade structure.
Aje Co-Founders Edwina Forest and Adrian Norris, collaborated with Co-Founders of Dollhouse Pictures, Shannon Murphy, and Producer Jessica Carerra, Creative Director Rebecca Khoury and Choreographer Shannon Ryan to conceptualise the film showcasing Biophilia’s vibrant looks in dialogue with the collection’s exploration of both the fractured and reciprocal relationship between human- made structures and the wild and autonomous beauty of nature.
There are so many patterns in nature, awaken your senses to them
On the directorial vision, Shannon Murphy shares, “I wanted to explore the language of patterns in nature and how it has impacted the look of this collection. I was so excited to have the freedom to play in an amazing location with some of my favourite existing and new collaborators. As a director I yearn for new perspectives and this project offered me a wonderful new muse Emi Elmit. Emi brought spirit, intuition, and a playfulness to the set. Emi is authentic and so natural, and we wanted her to feel embraced & understood with every movement she initiated. Emi expressed her freedom and femininity so naturally in AJE and she is the ultimate brand hero.”
Shot on location at the Sydney School of Practical Philosophy, Forest says of the project, “The atmosphere on set was a direct reflection of the collection, the melding of separate worlds creating beauty in unexpected forms. Aje has been grounded in an appreciation for the arts from inception; the collaborative nature of film and its freedom to communicate through varied touchpoints was a natural manifestation of Pre-Fall’s artistry. An ode to the relationship between architecture, nature, and fashion.”
Constructed in abstract silhouettes and vibrant spills of colour, featuring raw textures, sun-dappled prints, forms inspired by art nouveau architecture and verdant flora and fauna; the film stars Australia’s leading up-and-coming actresses embodying Biophilia including Mia Healey, Krew Boylan, Melanie Jarnson, Sophie Wilde and Priscilla Doueihy (Lunacy).
As Carerra elaborates, “One of the most exciting aspects of the creative industries is the ability to collaborate across disciplines. I’ve known Edwina and Adrian from their early days of building their brand, and Shannon from her beginnings as a celebrated filmmaker. I’ve always admired their collective tenacity for innovation, so Fractal draws inspiration from art, film, architecture, dance, and the environment as a means of self- expression and connectivity. There is so much nuance and detail in the ways we interact with others, Emi opened up a world of inclusivity and possibilities for the production and we relished her personal expression as a mean to her future trajectory refining her craft.”
Fractal Film from Aje. on Vimeo.
Aje’s Biophilia collection is available through the Aje retail network of stores across Australia and New Zealand, as well as through ajeworld.com. Campaign and look book images are available upon request.
