A-ESQUE’s New Hand-Braided Bags Are Wearable Works Of Art

A new weave

By Kiri Johnston | 2nd September 2026

Last night, Style Editor + Creative Director Kiri Johnston attended the unveiling of A-ESQUE‘s The Bag in Braid at The Second, an immersive Surry Hills apartment layered with contemporary art and collectible design.

The presentation took place within HŌLUS-BŌLUS, an apartment exhibition curated by Emma Elizabeth and Cassandra Bird as part of the Sydney Contemporary VIP Offsite Program. Co-hosted by A-ESQUE founder and creative director Amanda Rettig alongside Emma Elizabeth, the setting offered a fitting introduction to a collection where leather bags become sculptural objects.

Australian luxury label A-ESQUE is taking handwoven leather to an entirely new level with The Bag in Braid, a limited collection of one-of-one bags created inside its Melbourne atelier. Developed over 18 months, the collection sees hundreds of individually cut and skived leather strips plaited by hand before being constructed into sculptural three-dimensional forms. The process takes days to complete, ensuring no two bags are exactly alike. For Rettig, the collection began with a longstanding fascination with braiding and weaving in the art world.

“I’ve continued to think about how to translate that at the Atelier, in a contemporary way, in leather,” she says. “We started with simple knotted and braided straps last year. From there, we have slowly turned these into three-dimensional forms that became our new bags.”

The result sits somewhere between an everyday accessory and a collectible work of art. Braided structures, tactile finishes and optional fringing bring a sense of movement to each piece, while A-ESQUE’s practical approach to luxury ensures the bags are still intended to be carried and enjoyed. “What we are doing here is closer to couture than to leather goods,” Rettig says. “Each piece takes days rather than hours, and the making is visible in the finish.”

The Bag in Braid continues the design language A-ESQUE has established across its 13-year history. Every piece is made by hand in Melbourne through a lean, local production model, allowing the atelier to maintain a close relationship with its materials, makers and clients.

That slower approach also offers an alternative to the constant production cycle of the wider fashion industry. “Handmade is the solution to excess,” Rettig says. “It’s finite, and you feel it. Slowing down and making less brings back a respect for artisanship and for people’s skills.” Alongside the limited-edition collection, A-ESQUE is introducing a made-to-order service for clients looking to personalise their own braided bag. Working with an A-ESQUE World stylist, clients can select handle or shoulder strap lengths, explore colour combinations from the collection’s palette and decide whether to incorporate fringing.

The stylist will then take the final vision to the Melbourne atelier, where the individual piece will be brought to life. Appointments will be available both in person and online. The Bag in Braid will launch on 1 October 2026, with prices beginning at $2,000. The complete capsule will be available from A-ESQUE World on High Street in Melbourne, while Parlour X will be its exclusive Sydney home.

Clients elsewhere in Australia can access A-ESQUE’s made-to-order service through an online appointment, working with an A-ESQUE World stylist to select their preferred strap, colour combination and fringing.