Skin deeper

WORDS Malibongwe Tyilo

Here at VISI we know perfectly well that beauty is all about the way you feel and that the surroundings play a massive part in that. This is the genius behind the Aesop brand’s world-famous store designs and now there’s one in Cape Town too.

Australian skin, body and hair care brand Aesop is as famous for its store design (read what Annemarie Meintjes has to say here) as they are for the stuff that goes into their bottles. Shunning traditional marketing methods, there’s none of the usual celebrity endorsement and the packaging is uniform across its product lines. Besides the product, its stores have become a selling point.

Although established in 1987 by hairdresser Dennis Paphitis, Aesop only opened its first standalone store in 2004 – in an underground (literally) nook in Melbourne, a space that had previously been a descending ramp into a car park. Since then, they’ve opened several shops around the world, each time collaborating with architects and designers, with no two shops are the same. For instance, the Adelaide store boasts a ceiling made of 7 560 amber glass bottles and the New York store uses 400 000 sheets of reclaimed copies of the New York Times.

For its very first foray into Africa, the brand chose to partner up with Loading Bay – something of an institution in De Waterkant, and as popular for its famous burgers and coffee as it is for its international apparel ranges. Aesop gave Loading Bay a bit of creative flexibility with the opportunity to present their own ideas. Owner and founder Jon-Paul Bolus worked with architect Jacques Mouton and came up with ideas that Aesop loved.

The main inspiration behind the store was Japanese and Scandinavian design, primarily because both cultures have a strong focus on product, service, simplicity and functionality. The final result is a unique and beautifully designed space covered in Scandinavian timber while exuding the functional simplicity of Japanese craftsmanship.

The space not only represents Aesop’s unique aesthetic but it adds another dimension to Loading Bay’s already interesting space, giving us another excuse to linger longer, enjoy a cuppa with the free wi-fi and, perhaps, leave with a bag of pamper-tastic goodies.

loadingbay.co.za/aesop