Aje Bags: Every Clutch, Crossbody and Tote Explained

Aje bags are the leather and vegan leather handbags made by Aje, the Sydney label founded in 2008 by Adrian Norris and Edwina Forest. The range Coveti now carries runs to 71 pieces: 29 shoulder and crossbody bags, 29 clutches, 4 totes and 9 leather bag charms, and 48 of the 71 are leather. The shapes are small and sculptural, with hardware that does a lot of the talking: sunflowers, western buckles, leaf handles and flower clasps.

This is the full guide to the bag side of Aje: every family by shape, what each one is made of, how big it is in centimetres and how to pick the right one for the way you live. It is the first time Coveti has stocked Aje accessories, so the numbers below describe exactly what is on the shelf now.

Aje bags at a glance

• Brand: Aje, Sydney, founded 2008 by Adrian Norris (CEO) and Edwina Forest (creative director). Pronounced “age”.
• Bags on Coveti: 71 pieces, all one size.
• By shape: 29 shoulder and crossbody bags, 29 clutches, 4 totes, 9 bag charms.
• Materials: 48 of 71 in leather; the rest in PU (vegan leather), cotton canvas, woven raffia-look straw and metallic finishes.
• Leather sourcing: Aje buys leather from Leather Working Group accredited sources and bans exotic skins, so every “croc” bag is croc emboss leather.
• Main families: Cece, Celia, Luna, Retrofete, Maxine, Amber, Celeste and Cezanne clutches; Viva and Emery saddle bags; Polish crossbody; Macy baguette; Leaf, Bijou and Poppy shoulder bags; Untold totes; Alive shoppers.
• Size range: from the Retrofete Clutch at 20 cm long to the Untold Landscape Tote at 50 cm wide.
• Where: Aje at Coveti, verified authentic before dispatch and shipped worldwide.

What bags does Aje make?

Aje makes four kinds of bag, and the split tells you a lot about the label. Clutches and shoulder bags make up 58 of the 71 pieces, which matches the way Aje dresses women: for long lunches, weddings, the races and dinner, more than for the commute. Totes are the smallest group at four pieces, all from the Untold family. Bag charms add nine small leather pieces that clip onto any handle.

The house style is consistent across all four. Bags are compact, shapes are soft and rounded, and the hardware is cast to look like something found in nature: a sunflower on the Luna, a leaf on the Leaf, a flower on the Retrofete and Alessia, a bottle brush bloom on the charms. That botanical thread runs through Aje’s ready-to-wear as well, which is why the bags pair so easily with Aje dresses.

Which Aje clutch bags are there?

The clutch is the heart of the range, with 29 pieces across eight main families. Most of them come with a strap, so very few are hand-only. The full breakdown sits in our Aje clutch bag guide; here is the short version.

The Cece Clutch in Black is the workhorse. It measures 19 cm high, 12.5 cm across the base and 4.5 cm deep, in leather with a PU lining, and it comes with a chain strap that wears over the shoulder and across the body. The same frame appears as the Cece Metallic Clutch in Rose Gold, which adds a hammered bead hardware detail and a card slot, and as the Celia Croc Emboss Clutch, which swaps the smooth leather for an embossed croc texture with D-ring hardware and gold strap clips.

The Luna Mini Croc Emboss Clutch is the one with the sunflower. It has a metal top handle plus a detachable chain shoulder strap, so it carries by hand at dinner and on the shoulder once you are dancing. The Retrofete Clutch in Light Gold is an oval, 20 cm long, 7 cm wide and 10 cm high, closed with a gold flower clasp. For a bigger evening bag, the Maxine Medium Clutch is cut oversized in leather with a western-inspired buckle, and the Celeste Flower Clutch in Merlot pairs a metal top handle with a removable chain on a 50 cm drop.

Which Aje shoulder and crossbody bags are there?

Thirty pieces fall into this group, and they cover four shapes: the saddle bag, the crossbody, the baguette and the soft shoulder bag. Our Aje crossbody and shoulder bag guide goes deeper on strap drops and day use.

Saddle bags: Viva and Emery

The Viva Small Saddle Bag in Spiced Chai is a curved saddle shape, 22 cm long, 13.5 cm wide and 17 cm high, on an adjustable logo webbing strap worn across the body. It is made in PU. The leather version is the Viva Croc Emboss Saddle Bag in Golden Ochre Croc, which adds an internal slide pocket, and there is a canvas take in 40% cotton and 60% leather. The Emery is the softer alternative: the Emery Small Saddle Bag in Mulberry is 22 cm wide, 12.5 cm high and 6 cm deep with a removable leather crossbody strap on a 60 cm drop and a front logo charm.

Crossbody bags: Polish and Nina

The Polish Crossbody in Black sits in the Aje Core range rather than a single season. It has a pebble texture, a logo webbing strap and a detachable charm on the zip puller, all in PU. The Nina Logo Crossbody is made in recycled nylon, 23 cm wide and 17 cm high, with a magnetic snap flap and two strap drops, 25 cm and 60 cm.

Baguettes: Macy

The Macy Small Baguette Bag in Black is 27 cm long, 14 cm high and only 5 cm deep, in leather, on a chain shoulder strap, with a wavy metal zip puller. The suede version is wider at 32 cm, on a 23 cm strap drop.

Shoulder bags: Leaf, Bijou and Poppy

The Leaf Small Soft Shoulder Bag in Pine carries Aje’s leaf motif on its metal top handle, with a zip closure. The Bijou Croc Emboss Bag in Amber Croc is a flat, near-square shape at 39 cm long and 37 cm high, finished with a tassel charm. The Poppy Shoulder Bag is the Resort 2027 newcomer, an east-west zip-top shoulder bag in leather with Aje logo hardware.

Does Aje make tote bags?

Yes, though only four, all from the Untold family, all in leather. The Untold Landscape Tote in Black is the largest bag in the whole Aje range on Coveti at 50 cm wide, 29 cm high and 13 cm deep, in pebble leather with a 29 cm handle drop. It is the one to choose if a laptop goes with you. The Untold Portrait Tote in Spiced Chai is taller than it is wide, 36 cm by 32 cm with a 32 cm depth, a shape that suits files and a water bottle. Both have a gold logo detail and a hardware charm.

For a smaller tote, the Untold Mini Tote has two top handles, a zip closure and a detachable adjustable crossbody strap, so it works as a top-handle bag and as a crossbody. Browse every shape in our designer tote bags edit.

What is an Aje bag charm?

Aje’s nine bag charms are small leather ornaments that clip onto a handle, a strap ring and a zip puller. Most measure 4.5 cm by 4.5 cm and stand 10.5 cm tall including the clip. The Bottle Brush Charm in Pine and Fawn Pink and the Protea Flower Charm are named for the bottlebrush and protea blooms. The Mini Belle and Mini Pompom are rounder, and the Nokaya Tassel Charm is a single leather tassel. They are an easy way to make a plain Polish Crossbody feel personal, and an easy gift. See all of them in bag charms, and read more in our Aje belts, wallets and bag charms guide.

What are Aje bags made of?

Of the 71 bags Coveti carries, 48 are leather. The other 23 are made in PU (polyurethane, the material sold as vegan leather), cotton canvas, a woven polypropylene that reads as raffia, recycled nylon and metallic-finished materials. Product pages state the composition of each one, and it is worth reading, because the same family can come in both. The Viva Small Saddle Bag is PU; the Viva Croc Emboss Saddle Bag is leather.

• Smooth leather: Cece, Macy, Luna Metallic, Celeste, Cezanne, Untold.
• Croc emboss leather: Celia, Luna Mini, Viva Croc, Bijou, Aviel, Corrie. These are cowhide-style leathers pressed with a croc pattern. Aje’s own sourcing rules ban exotic skins, so none of them is crocodile.
• Nubuck and suede: Maxine Nubuck Clutch, Poppy Nubuck Shoulder Bag, Macy Suede Baguette Bag, Leaf Suede Fringed Bag.
• PU: Viva Small, Viva Texture, Emery, Polish, Retrofete, Leaf Texture, Alessia.
• Woven and canvas: Retrofete Woven (woven PU), Ischia (polypropylene with a leather trim and cotton lining), Viva Small Canvas, Astouri.

Aje’s leather comes from Leather Working Group accredited sources, the industry audit for tanneries. The label also bans fur, angora and mulesed wool across everything it makes. For the full look at stitching, linings and hardware, read are Aje bags good quality, and for the brand’s wider record, is Aje sustainable.

How big are Aje bags?

Aje publishes measurements for most of its bags, and Coveti lists them on each product page. Where Aje gives none, the page says so. These are the measured styles, from smallest to largest.

A useful rule: depth decides capacity more than width. Bags 6 cm deep and under are built for the essentials only. From 10 cm deep, as with the Alive East West Shopper and the Untold totes, there is room for a full day’s kit. Check your phone’s length against the height before you choose a clutch.

How do you choose an Aje bag?

Start with the hours the bag needs to cover, then the strap, then the material.

• For everyday wear: a crossbody with an adjustable strap. The Polish Crossbody and Viva Small Saddle Bag are both PU, light and easy to wipe clean, which suits a bag that goes everywhere.
• For work: the Untold Landscape Tote, the only Aje bag here sized for a laptop, and the Alive Gathered Shopper in Pine, 48 cm long in leather with a gathered texture.
• For weddings and events: a clutch with a chain strap, so you have both hands free for a glass and a handshake. The Cece and Luna Mini both qualify. Pair them using our Aje wedding guest dresses guide.
• For the races: a structured top-handle piece like the Aviel Evening Bag in Amber Croc, which has multiple compartments and a detachable chain. See what to wear to the races in Aje.
• For holidays: woven and canvas bags. The Retrofete Woven Clutch and Ischia Shoulder Bag both read as summer, and they shrug off sand better than suede.

Colour is the last decision. Black, Ivory and Spiced Chai, a warm caramel, are the shades that run across the most families. Pine, Merlot, Mulberry and Golden Ochre are the seasonal accents, and they match the Aje Resort 2027 palette described in our Aje Resort 2027 guide.

How do Aje bags compare with similar brands?

If you like Aje’s bags you are likely looking at a handful of other labels with a sculptural, feminine handbag line. Coveti carries several of them. Oroton is an Australian leather goods house built around everyday leather bags. JW PEI works largely in vegan leather. Cult Gaia and BY FAR are known for sculptural shapes and hardware. Aje sits between them: a ready-to-wear house whose bags are designed to finish its own outfits, with more leather than a vegan label and more botanical detail than a classic leather goods brand. Our brands like Aje guide covers the clothing side.

Where can you buy Aje bags?

Aje sells through its own website and more than 20 Aje stores across Australia and New Zealand. Aje’s press materials also name Harrods, Selfridges and Neiman Marcus as stockists, and in Australia David Jones carries the label as a separate retailer with its own returns. Coveti now stocks the 71 bags described here, every one verified authentic before dispatch, shipped worldwide from hubs in the UAE and Australia by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority. Returns follow the Coveti returns policy. For more on stockists, see where to buy Aje, and shop the full range in designer bags.

Frequently asked questions

Are Aje bags real leather?
Most are. Of the 71 Aje bags Coveti carries, 48 are leather. The rest are PU vegan leather, cotton canvas, woven polypropylene, recycled nylon and metallic finishes. Each product page lists the exact composition.

Are Aje croc bags made from crocodile?
No. Aje bans exotic skins, so its croc bags are croc emboss leather: leather pressed with a croc texture. Aje names them “Croc Emboss” in the product title.

What is the most popular Aje bag shape?
The clutch and the shoulder bag. Together they make up 58 of the 71 Aje bags on Coveti, with 29 clutches and 29 shoulder and crossbody bags.

Which Aje bag is big enough for a laptop?
The Untold Landscape Tote, at 50 cm wide, 29 cm high and 13 cm deep, is the largest Aje bag Coveti carries and the one sized for a laptop.

Can Aje clutches be worn on the shoulder?
Many can. The Cece, Celia, Luna Mini, Celeste, Alessia, Cezanne and Amber clutches all come with a chain strap, a shoulder strap and a crossbody strap of some kind. The Retrofete is the main hand-held style.

How do you pronounce Aje?
Like “age”. The founders have explained the name as an acronym for “Adrian Joins Edwina”.

Are Aje bags sold at David Jones?
Yes, David Jones stocks Aje in Australia as a separate retailer with its own returns. Coveti also carries 71 Aje bags, verified authentic and shipped worldwide.