Emily Adams Bode Aujla : “To adore and cherish a piece is the most sustainable act you can do.”

“Even before going to college, I wanted to pair my design studies with liberal arts because it only aids in allowing us to dive deeper into thinking about your aesthetic or emotional understanding, about how we became and why, our values, about the community that we engage with,” she explains. A graduate of both Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College, Bode Aujla combined menswear design with philosophy through school. By doing so, she expressed from the outset a desire to break down the rigid divide between who we are and how we appear, between the physical and the metaphysical. Practical objects – and clothes top the VIP list of practical objects - shape us in every sense. Because objects carry memory, they bear witness to our existence and come to define part of who we are. And that may be the underlying meaning behind Bode Aujla’s approach: expanding her own universe in a way that resonates deeply with some of us. Precisely because it goes beyond the tangible into the meaningful. 

After completing her degrees, she felt fashion design was her true calling, yet she started out in retail. “Just before launching Bode, I worked at Isabel Marant. And I’ve worked in a lot of boutiques in downtown Manhattan. I think I learned everything I know from retail. I always tell people it’s one of the best jobs if you're trying to go into fashion or any adjacent industries. You learn what a customer wants. It might not always be an article of clothing, but some sort of connection or an emotional experience.” What directed her path into fashion and masterful sense of storytelling also includes some key names in American fashion. “I'd say the only one who truly has influenced who I am is Ralph Lauren and that has so much to do with the idea of world-building.” During her studies, she interned for Ralph Lauren and Marc Jacobs. “I think equally they have built their own sense of community, in very different ways with very different priorities.”

“We’ve become who we are through memories. Some objects enter a person's universe and will start to define them or at least evoke a way of being, an almost-personality.”

“As a kid, I was drawn to the idiosyncrasies of my family around objects and why they collected them. My grandfather collected American antiques. My dad never believed in wearing denim. My other grandfather only wore bow ties. There was something both funny and meaningful in how each of them had their own perspective on curating the world around them.” What stayed with her was the quiet attention to the details of everyday life that shaped her sense of identity. “I reproduced some of my family’s garments. I made my mom's western shirt from high school and my grandmother's ski sweater and I've been able to weave those pieces into my collections. Those are pieces I absolutely adore making.” Recreating these garments and sharing them with the world is not just about preserving memories, but about actively keeping their spirit alive and allowing their legacy to endure.

And this fits seamlessly into the lineage of the collection presented in Paris for Menswear Spring-Summer 2026. “I am really excited about this collection because it honours the memory of the father of someone I am very close to. I never met this person but I tried to imagine their wardrobe through interviews with their family members or looking at photographs and working with my research assistant. I wanted to express how his craft influenced who he was, and vice versa.” The collection explores four different themes of this person’s life. “There is a sweater with embroideries of almost childlike animals, a beaded coat, a heavily embellished green top almost like a theater costume…” One can hear the smile in Bode Aujla’s voice while she walks us through the collection. By conceiving the physical world of a person she never directly met, only having apprehended the memories of his loved ones and his image, she translates his remembered presence into the physical world through creativity.

“Aaron loves building the universe that houses all of my designs.”

In March 2025, the brand opened its very first Parisian boutique, near Palais-Royal, in the city's historic core. “Almost a private space, our own little world” conceived by Aaron Aujla, interior and furniture designer who co-founded Green River Project LLC, and her husband. “Aaron fell in love with the narrative that the store embodies, which is about a Frenchman who had a love for America and a passion for fly fishing. That store is the culmination of this almost hundred-year-old narrative but still feels very of the moment.” So, what exactly does fly fishing have to do with designing a boutique, you might ask? Is it far-fetched? No, it is deeply personal as it is a rooted memory. “We kind of fell in love with this idea of fly fishing because we live in Connecticut and it was the recreational activity of the people who lived at our house before us, even a hundred years before us. It ties our life in America and in New England to France in a beautiful and a little bit unexpected way.” In the boutique, hand-painted faux bois and English waxed cotton create an inviting atmosphere that reflects Bode’s very idea of a domestic space. “That was all of Aaron’s vision and designs. And we're seeing such positive engagement. It is really exciting to connect with Parisians and many others who haven’t yet experienced our locations in New York, Los Angeles, or online.”

Bode Aujla’s commercial success is closely tied to her strong professional acclaim. Her commitment to authenticity and emotional connection has earned recognition from the fashion industry in the form of several prestigious accolades. She was a finalist for the LVMH Prize, named CFDA Emerging Designer of the Year in 2019, runner-up for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2018, a finalist for the Woolmark Prize in 2020, and won the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award in both 2021 and 2022.

“Through sport and recreation, we develop loyalty and understanding of virtue. We understand our place in society. That’s kind of what brought me to Bode Rec.”

“Now that we're almost 10 years in and looking at all my past collections, it's really easy to look at all the things that I've made and what's missing.” In January 2024, she launched an activewear line, Bode Rec., (short for Recreation), along with a global collaboration with Nike, and even a dedicated runway show at the inaugural GQ Bowl in New Orleans, in February 2025. “The entire collection was thought about as anything that you would find in your gym bag, from the clothing to some more fun accessories like a tennis racket holder.” As with everything she creates, this line is carefully crafted with a long-term vision. “I launched Bode Rec. and it will continue to grow for our men's and women's wardrobe forever, as long as the brand is in existence. Because I felt it was really missing to help build out our world.”

Yet, Bode Aujla reminds us of a fundamental truth at the very essence of creative fashion: purchasing a piece should always be a thoughtful, intentional act. This approach highlights a key perspective on sustainability, considering not only how a piece lasts physically, but also the lasting emotional connection it fosters. “I say that unless you're going to wear something out of the store, don't buy it. Adore a piece and cherish it. It's the most sustainable act you can do.”

Reuben Attia