What initially drew me to the Aesop range was their honesty. You walk into one of their concept stores and you aren’t bombarded by staff selling you another ‘miracle’ cure for oily skin, blemishes or dark circles.
More often than not, you’re greeted by a fresh-faced staff member who assures you that they are there should you need anything. And off you go sampling products, reading the Aesop range menu and looking at a plethora of generic brown bottles with all the core ingredients of the product labelled. When you think you know what you want, the staff member engages with you to help, and out you go with your Aesop calico bag, and plenty of cash left to enjoy a day of shopping. For me, the first time I used Aesop, I knew there and then that there was no turning back.
The story of Aesop and it’s ethos, is one that reflects mine and everyone else’s experience of this brand. A brand that is honest, minimal and does what it says it’s going to do. Director Dennis Paphitis started almost by accident in 1987, where in a Melbourne hair salon, the first products were developed. Dennis, a man fascinated by science, went on to dedicate himself to researching the most effective botanical ingredients which cared for the skin and hair. Now, with over 32 international concept stores, endless department and specialty store counters, more than 70 products, neither Aesop or Dennis are showing any sign of slowing down.
A global brand, Aesop’s roots are firmly planted in cosmopolitan Melbourne. Their head office is a hub of activity and the place that product ideas are researched and developed. The Aesop laboratory is based here, where skilled scientists create prototypes and test them. Blends are played with and then manufactured. The end result – a product of exceptional quality.
Transparency and sincerity are qualities that are often lacking in the skincare and beauty industry, and although many try to brand themselves as such, most can see straight through the corporate marketing. Aesop let’s the product speak for itself. With no marketing, advertising, or promotional material, the brand is allowed to breath. Using such an approach, Aesop attracts a loyal following of clientele. Product design is central to Aesop.
The labelling on the products have ingredients listed so you know what fragrant notes there are, what the product does and who it would best suit. The bottles themselves are representative of pharmaceutical bottles, so when you see them displayed on the store shelves, you almost think you are in an alchemist’s lair. The products always remain faithful and authentic to the core ingredients.
Aesop concept stores are an experience in themselves. Now with outlets in New York, Hong Kong, Paris and London, you have to experience one to understand their impact. Each store is geographically sensitive to its area, so when you are in Melbourne, the product lives and breathes what it is to be Melbournian. The Paris store, positioned right at home on rue Saint Honore, manages to encapsulate everything there is about being a Parisian. Aesop stores take in the characteristics of the neighbourhood, the feeling, the people.
By engaging with local talented designers and architects, Paphitis, who works alongside his creative director Hiroko Shiratori, is able to let his creative mind go wild. Aesop chooses to open stores on already established streets, such as Gertrude Street in Melbourne. The team then looks at materials, colours and textures that will compliment the history and culture of each location. Every product displays sharp attention to detail, reflecting the way the brand believes you should be living your life. It’s a brand that takes in a holistic approach to health and beauty. Aesop promotes the idea of a healthy lifestyle which includes good food and hydration, but also that a life that celebrates travel, experiences, film and encourages reading, will all lead to fresh glowing skin.
The thing I love most about being a disciple of Aesop is their communication. As a client, you can opt to be on the Aesop mailing list. For that, you receive an emailed newsletter telling you of the latest happenings and movements, and products, but also inviting you to take part in an intellectual discourse in art, literature and things classic, luxurious and stylish. They invite you to art openings, cinema nights and photography exhibitions. Aesop is a product so connected to the fine arts, a product that not only allows the skin to flourish, but which exercises the brain. Each email ends with a quote to make you think and want to know more about the writer and Aesop’s unique take on life itself.
This sort of communication, through famous quotes, is synonymous with Aesop branding. It appears on the walls of their stores, shop fronts and packaging. Any communication you have with this brand, right down to the calico bag, and gift boxes, all have something to stimulate the mind, with the products taking the role of the brand’s physical expression. After all it was Salvador Paniker who said: ‘Better than a face-lift, to stay young we need to be permanently in a state of intellectual curiosity.’