Aje

After beginning as a wholesale business with an international agency, Adrian Norris, Aje’s CEO says the business changed its business model in 2012 to become a fully Australian vertical retail business. In just over a decade, the business has grown its retail presence locally from one store in Noosa, Queensland to more than 20 stores across Australia – including an online platform, Aje World.

Aje now has a bricks and mortar store in New Zealand, and an international wholesale business in addition to its multi-site retail presence in Australia.

The business’ outstanding reputation meant the brand was also successful in getting high-end international retailers like Nordstrom, Moda Operandi and Harvey Nichols to stock its range. However, to meet these international orders, Aje needed to pay for the production of all its garments upfront – negatively impacting cash flow on its Australian business.

“There’s always an issue with funding international invoices,” Norris said. “We’re not in an industry where it’s easy to get funding, especially on something which is unsecured overseas.”

An easy finance process

Thankfully, Norris came across a newspaper article about Export Finance Australia and reached out to see we could help finance its international production invoices.

We provided Aje with a A$350,000 Small Business Export Loan to ensure the cash flow of its Australian business was uninterrupted and it could fulfil its export orders. This enabled the business to strengthen relationships with existing buyers and reach new customers in the USA, UK and Asia.

Norris was impressed with the support he received from our team.

“They were fantastic to work with, that’s the truth,” he said. “I’d definitely recommend them. This is the first government support we've ever had. Getting finance is the biggest hurdle in any growing business, so having the support of Export Finance is fantastic.”

Planning for the future

So, what’s next for Aje? Norris revealed that the fashion brand wants to continue expanding its retail footprint internationally.

“Now that our Australian business is stable enough to warrant exporting, we’re moving into overseas expansion,” Norris said. “Hopefully, Export Finance Australia can be involved with helping us do that as well.”