![Hibiya Chanter AESOP 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Hibiya_Chanter_AESOP_2018.jpg)
Aesop (stylised as Aēsop) is an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
luxury
Luxury may refer to:
* Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises
*Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars
**Luxury tax (sports), surcharge pu ...
cosmetics brand owned by Brazilian company
Natura & Co that produces skin, hair, and body care products headquartered in
Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
People As a given name
*Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name:
**FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855)
** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, Australia.
Aesop was established in 1987 by Dennis Paphitis in Armadale, several suburbs away from the brand's current headquarters. At the time, Paphitis owned and operated a hair salon named Emeis where part of his business involved blending essential oils into hair products. After continued success, he rebranded to Aesop. Naming the brand after the Greek fabulist and storyteller was an intentional ploy by Paphitis to mock the puffery exhibited in the advertising of competing cosmetic brands. He eventually sold the brand to Naturua & Co while maintaining a role as advisor.
Each Aesop store has a unique interior design developed in collaboration with various architects, interior designers and artists. As of 2019, the brand had over 320 points of sale across 25 countries.
[Amelia Chia]
I'm with the brand: Aesop
''Buro 24/7'' 18 December 2015 Aesop currently produces 83 product formulations and three
shaving
Shaving is the removal of hair, by using a razor or any other kind of bladed implement, to slice it down—to the level of the skin or otherwise. Shaving is most commonly practiced by men to remove their facial hair and by women to remove the ...
accessories.
History
Aesop was founded by hairdresser Dennis Paphitis
in 1987 in
Armadale,
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
.
Suzanne Santos, whose current job title is Chief Customer Officer,
[Annabel Ross, '']The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'
Melbourne Story: Suzanne Santos
21 March 2012 was instrumental in the founding and growth of the company.
She was Paphitis's first employee.
In 2020, Aesop introduced their first Candle product line with 3 new scents titled Ptolemy, Aganice, and Callippus.
In 2010
Harbert Australia Private Equity bought a minority stake in the company; Aesop used the capital injection to fund growth.
[Rachel Well]
The man behind the Aesop brand
''The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' 23 February 2012 In December 2012, Aesop sold a 65% stake in its business to
Brazilian direct-sales cosmetics company
Natura
Natura & Co is a Brazilian global personal care cosmetics group headquartered in São Paulo. The Natura & Co Group currently includes Natura Cosméticos, Aesop, The Body Shop and Avon Products. The Group is present in 73 countries across all cont ...
Cosméticos for US$71.6 million
(approximately
A$100 million).
Natura took total ownership in December 2016.
In September 2018, Aesop launched a luxe homewares product.
For the company's national and international experience in sustainable development, and eco-friendly products, the Environment Possibility Award conferred the "Award of Green-Trend Leader" to Aesop in 2020.
Corporate identity
The brand has been noted for following a modern approach to prestige
branding
Branding may refer to:
Physical markings
* Making a mark, typically by charring:
** Wood branding, permanently marking, by way of heat, typically of wood (also applied to plastic, cork, leather, etc.)
** Livestock branding, the marking of animals ...
. This includes not using traditional advertisements or discount sales to promote its products but rather getting noticed and talked about for the design of its products, stores, events and communications.
Name, logo, and branding
According to founder Dennis Paphitis, the brand's name was inspired by the Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables. Originally named "Emeis" - which in Greek means "us", and the namesake of Paphitis's hairdressing salon at the time, the brand's name was changed to Aesop in response to the sometimes exaggerated claims made by competitors about their products.
Aesop has a minimalist approach to branding, with their logo being a simple transcription of the brand's name in Optima font. Their brand image is described by Social Entrepreneur and Writer Tony Kearney as the key behind its success who credits Aesop with having crafted one of the most beautiful brand programs in existence. After 20 years of operation, the brand retained digital strategist Work & Co to redesign the online experience. The website redesign was critically acclaimed, winning three awards.
Store design
Aesop retail stores are considered to place local relevance and understatement as a priority in their design.
The brand consistently uses authentic materials in store construction projects, with this described as a “sensible use of the existing space and façade”.
Notable designers and architects have been involved in the creation of Aesop stores. In 2008, British designer
Ilse Crawford
Ilse Catherine Crawford (born 1962) is a British interior and furniture designer.
Early life and education
Crawford was born in London in 1962 to Jill Rendall and Malcom Crawford. Her father, Malcom, was the editor of ''The Sunday Times'' and ...
designed the first London based store for the brand, located in a Victorian Grade II listed mansion block in Mayfair. The store was noted for its restoration of a historic building with modern additions with brass and ceramic while maintaining original fittings such as the pitch pine floor. In 2021, Odami, a Spanish-Canadian design studio was retained by Aesop to design a new store in Yorkville.
Odami described the project as one which paid homage to the history of Yorkville, which retains many homes of
Victorian design.
The Victorian-style finishing's were noted, as was the design's minimalist approach.
Internal culture
Aesop has a distinct internal company culture consisting of minimalism and order. Aesop employees are referred to as "Aesopian's" and are subject to certain unique company rules and guidelines such as using only black Moleskin notebooks, black pens, and sending all emails with a greeting or pleasantry at its beginning and end.
Its offices have been described as "minimal...upmarket prison cell
, and employees are not permitted to eat food at or keep personal items on desks.
This order is said to stem from Paphitis's inclination for control over Aesop, who has acknowledged "
esoplabour
over seemingly inane decisions...to make things appear effortless...there's a great deal of energy involved".
Other elements of the internal culture include keeping mobile phones on silent inside offices, and using Aesop's brand colours on company documents. Former General Manager of Marketing Lisa D'Amico has stated "the colours used on PowerPoint presentations are really, really important, particularly to the board. If
ne isnot OK with that,
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
just won't enjoy
orking at Aesop.
Such edicts have been described as "specific yet vague" that make being an potentially employee stressful.
D'Amico acknowledged Aesop takes "cultural alignment to the nth degree" and noted cultural fit between Aesop and its employees ought to be mutual.
Points of sale
Aesop has over 235 company owned signature stores across Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, USA, Taiwan, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Hong Kong, Sweden, Norway,Spain, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Belgium and the UK.
[Anna Winston]
Dezeen's top 10 Aesop store designs
Dezeen
''Dezeen'' is an online architecture, interiors and design magazine based in London, with offices in Hoxton and also previously in New York City.
History
''Dezeen'' was launched in London by Marcus Fairs at the end of November 2006. Its New Yo ...
17 December 2014 In the US, it is also available at
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and ...
and
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue (originally Saks & Company; Colloquialism, colloquially Saks) is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in New York City and founded by Andrew Saks. The original store opened in the F Street and ...
. In Canada, Aesop's products can be found at
Holt Renfrew
Holt, Renfrew & Co., Limited (doing business as Holt Renfrew and known colloquially as Holt's) is a Canadian luxury department store chain founded in 1837 by William S. Henderson. It has been owned by the Weston family since 1986, and was previo ...
,
Ogilvy, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Its largest store in 2017 was its space in the
Broadway Theater District
New York City's Theater District (sometimes spelled Theatre District, and officially zoned as the "Theater Subdistrict") is an area and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan where most Broadway theaters are located, as well as many other theaters, ...
in
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...
where the walls are lined with reclaimed
cardboard
Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. The construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light b ...
tubing from fabric rolls discarded by the nearby fashion district.
Other elements of the store's interior are made entirely from
recycled paper
The recycling of paper is the process by which waste paper is turned into new paper products. It has a number of important benefits: It saves waste paper from occupying homes of people and producing methane as it breaks down. Because paper fi ...
.
[Lizzie Fison]
Brooks + Scarpa recycles cardboard tubes and paper for Los Angeles Aesop store interior
Dezeen
''Dezeen'' is an online architecture, interiors and design magazine based in London, with offices in Hoxton and also previously in New York City.
History
''Dezeen'' was launched in London by Marcus Fairs at the end of November 2006. Its New Yo ...
21 March 2017
Management
Michael O'Keeffe has been CEO of Aesop since 2003.
[Katrina Strickland]
Aesop's fable: the skincare company that puts culture first
''Financial Review'' 25 April 2017
See also
*
Diptyque
St Germain Diptyque is a luxury French fragrance brand.
Based in Paris, the company produces eau de parfum, eau de toilette, scented candles, and perfume oil diffusers.
Its original boutique is still located at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain in t ...
*
Le Labo
Le Labo (French language, French: "the lab") is an Estée Lauder perfume brand based in New York City. The Le Labo "Manifesto" states that "the future of luxury ..lies in craftsmanship" and includes a line from Hafez, Hafiz and mentions of Wa ...
*
Byredo
References
{{Cosmetics
Australian companies established in 1987
Cosmetics companies of Australia
Australian brands
Luxury brands
Companies based in Melbourne
B Lab-certified corporations in Australia