No. 1
Visual Communication Lookbook history | aesthetics | retail stores | pop-ups | innovation | legacy
February 2019 Paola Rios
Contents
Brand History
1 1
Aesthetic Pop-Up Stores
2
Retail Stores
Window Display
3
4 Legacy
5
Alch fo
hemists of luxurious products or the skin, hair and body.
Established in 1987, Aesop has become a leader in innovative branding and storytelling. It was created by hairdresser Dennis Paphitis in Melbourne, Australia. He had “an eye for aesthetics and literature, a love of philosophy and a determination to do things differently,” therefore, he started working alongside chemists on perfecting skin, hair, and body products. Even as new product categories were introduced they all continued to be created with “meticulous research into the best natural ingredients, sustainability, and the goal of creating sensory pleasure.” This philosophy extends to the design of the 183+ retail spaces they have established around the world. Their brand name being synonymous with one of the world’s legendary storytellers, Aesop has a strong passion for storytelling through their retail spaces.
‘It is our intention to weave ourselves into the fabric of place and add something of merit rather than impose a discordant presence, and our consistent practice to use a locally relevant design vocabulary.’ Every Aesop location is designed by the culture and people that surround it, bringing local designers, materials, and creative vision. Each store is enriched and inspired by the mind and soul of the residents and pays tribute to that cultural, verbal and visual vocabulary. This antiglobalization movement in retail was transcribed by the founder, Paphitis, in a manifesto that has led the way for brands to use promising and established architects and local vernaculars to embed a brand around the globe.
‘We believe unequ
considered design im
Aes
uivocally that well-
mproves our lives.’
sop
Retail Stores
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Situated in the neighborhood of Vila Madalena – home to artists, artisans, designers, and intellectuals – Aesop has created a visual manifestation of Brazilian design. Typically used for ventilation and shade, Brazilian Cobogó bricks are aligned throughout the walls, and fixtures emphasizing the versatility of the traditional Paulista design. The bricks also allow sunlight and foliage to spill inside the store letting nature become part of the aesthetic experience. The bold, tactile characteristics of Paulista architecture generates a space that integrates seamlessly within the community.
‘Sun-dappled testament to the ingenuity of Brazilian design’ AESOP
Campana Brothers/Estudio Campana
Cobogรณ Bricks
Concrete
VILLA MADALENA, BRAZIL
VILLA MADALENA, BRAZIL
Rua Harmonia, 343 - 345 - Sumarezinho, 05435-000, Sรฃo Paulo - SP
Chicago, USA
Aesop Bucktown is crafted out the texture of Chicago’s ‘elastic’ urban grid. The store utilizes grids and linear geometry to guide one’s eyes through its space. The bricks on the walls guide the eyes up, while the angled bricks on the floor lead you to the displays. Reclaimed Chicago Common Brick – a material historically reserved for alley facades – cover the entirety of the store bringing a sense of warmth, familiarity, and history. The steel shelves and brass tapware also evoke the industrial history of Chicago’s Western neighborhoods.
Norman Kelley Architecture
Herringbone Brick Floor BUCKTOWN, USA
Reclaimed Chicago Brick
Hardwood
BUCKTOWN, USA
BUCKTOWN, USA
1653 North Damen Avenue , Chicago, IL, 60647
KANAZAWA, JAPAN
Aesop Kanazawa revives a traditional Nagaya row house in a time where modern city-dwelling are overpowering the landscape. The house has been remodeled into a store in respect of its original domestic function. The original interior support structure of dark wood became the main inspiration for the stores overall color story and contrast. Through this store, Aesop was able not only pay respect to Japanese design but also conserve a disappearing architecture.
‘Elegant linearity informed by local Edo-era townhouses’ AESOP
Case-Real
Toori-niwa
Machiya
SEMI-OUTDOOR LEVEL
TRADITIONAL ROW HOUSES
1 Chome-17-9 Higashiyama Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture 920-0831 Japan
LOS ANGELES, USA
Located in the Los Angeles Fashion District, this Aesop store not only pays tribute to the garment industry but also becomes an inspiration of mindful design. The store utilizes the power of repetition by covering walls and fixtures with cardboard tubes. These pay a tribute to the empty fabric bolts often found in the fashion, costume, and design studios. The warm color palette contrasted with the palm trees demonstrates not only the greenery and climate associated with LA but also the city’s environmental-forward mindset.
Brooks + Scarpa
Vintage Porcelain Sinks
Cardboard
DOWNTOWN LA, USA
DOWNTOWN LA, USA
862 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND
Located on a small, lively street by the shore of Lake Geneva, this Aesop located captures the sophistication and Modernist undertones of Switzerland. The architecture is inspired by Gio Ponti’s Royal Continental Hotel in Napoli. The beveled edges and angles of the feature shelving underscore the Modernist leaning while two large Venini glass chandeliers add a vintage charm. The store is a monument to Modernist elegance.
Marion Mouny
Paulo Venini Chandeliers LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND
Concrete
Acerro Timber
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND
Rue St-Laurent 6-8 CH – 1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
‘Brass, concrete and timber in balance.’ AESOP
MIAMI, USA
When opening a store in the neighborhood of Wynwood, Aesop decided to be fully inspired by the area’s vibrant arts community and its history of industry and manufacturing. Installed at the end of the store are two tall panes of dichroic glass that refract light to create a holographic and colorful effect reminiscent of the bright murals of Wynwood. An installation of granite boulders line is found throughout the store whose solid and dark material contrast the light and color of the glass.
‘An essay on light, colour and texture.’ AESOP
Frida Escobedo
Dichroic Glass MIAMI, USA
Manhattan Granite Boulder MIAMI, USA
2609 NW 2 Ave, Miami, FL, 33127
‘A respectful resp
and se
Aes
ponse to function
etting.’
sop
Pop-Up Stores
TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA
In 2016, established a shop at the MONA FOMA music festival that takes place at the MONA Art Gallery. They set out to create a sensory introduction to the brand and its products. Designed by local studio Partners Hill, the pop-up was built out of locally sourced timber to create a boxy structure among shrubbery with pumps installed that dispensed sunscreen and cooling aloe vera after-sun lotion. Named the Chamber of Light and Shadow, the shop offered a relaxing getaway from the main festival.
NEW YORK, USA
The Aesop Grand Central kiosk serves as a point of introduction of the brand to about 750,000 commuters. Designed by Brooklyn architect Jeremy Barbour of Tacklebox, the kiosk features 1,800 reclaimed newspapers of the New York Times, an icon of the city and its newspaperreading commuters. The newspapers are used as hanging features as well as pedestals to showcase the products.
Window Display
DERMA
Aesop took over the windows of Myer, one of Melbourne’s leading department stores, with a creative demonstration of the brand. The windows, entitled Derma, featured four actors dressed in white with grey aprons working with a flowing length of fabric. The performers play the part of a tailor, appraiser, conservator, and curator.
‘It’s an abstract interpretation of the rituals that are important in caring for the skin. The key emphasis is on the nutrition and fortification of the skin.’ The windows were created by Marsha Meredith with the goal of broadening the conversation about the impact of the environment of the skin and the role skincare takes in protecting ones against those factors.
AESOP NASOTHÈQUE: PLEASURE AND PURPOSE Another window display they created for Myer in Melbourne was called Pleasure and Purpose which featured the Aesop Nasothèque, a celebration of olfaction through performance. The installation throughout the windows follows the process of casting an individual’s nose curing and installing the plaster nose until it is added to the nasothèque, a collection of noses. As the windows and performances continued the collection of noses grew.
The window installation represents the union of evocative essential oils underpinned by the science of olfaction. Outside of the windows, there are six plaster noses infused with Aesop’s essential oils, allowing the public to smell them.
Legacy
Aesop has become a leader of the anti-globalization retail movement. Since its beginnings, the brand’s goal of creating a store was to build a community around it through the incorporation of that communities art, history, and culture. The brand has found a successful balance between making each store location unique yet never losing its core philosophy and image. Aesop has even created an online library called The Taxonomy of Design which features each store’s design, materials, and creative team. While other brands are adopting this way of retail design, Aesop’s integration of this design philosophy was conceived alongside the brand marking its success.
‘Our desire to create uncluttered, harmonious environments is driven from architectural sensibilities, and a notion that rejects the sameness of globalisation and retail norms.’ MARSHA MEREDITH, CREATIVE DIRECTOR
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-alexander-haldemann/the-beauty-of-aesop-asto_b_6598486.html https://www.wallpaper.com/gallery/lifestyle/a-visual-history-of-aesops-best-designerstores https://www.afr.com/brand/afr-magazine/aesops-fable-the-skincare-company-that-putsculture-first-20170323-gv4hwu https://www.aesop.com/dk/en/r/about https://www.aesop.com/dk/en/r/philosophy-to-design https://www.designboom.com/architecture/case-real-aesop-kanazawa-09-19-18 https://www.wallpaper.com/lifestyle/aesop-store-kanazawa-japan-by-case-real https://www.dezeen.com/2011/07/28/aesop-grand-central-kiosk-by-tacklebox http://www.tacklebox-ny.com/project/20/aesop-grand-central https://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/21/viedo-partners-hill-aesop-pop-up-wooden-paviliontasmanian-music-festival-mona-art-gallery-movie http://www.idolmag.co.uk/arts/new-space-aesop-pop-up-store-by-partners-hill/ https://www.wallpaper.com/lifestyle/skin-and-ritual-aesops-mesmerising-melbournewindows https://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/fashion/article/pleasure-and-purpose-aesopmyer-window-bourke-street http://www.fluorodigital.com/2014/04/aesop-nasotheque-pleasure-purpose https://www.wallpaper.com/design/global-roaming-the-secret-behind-aesop-success
2019
Paola Rios