© Luisa Kuhlewind
Aesop is one of those brands that just get what it means to curate a retail experience: their unique store designs crafted by local architects and designers that perfectly blend into the city’s scene, the perfume-sprayed shopping bags, the customer service. I once got served a perfectly tempered cup of herbal tea entering the Soho store in the middle of a winter storm. In the age of hyper-accessibility and online shopping, Aesop knows about the physicality, the sensuality of a shop floor and thus selling us the wellness character of their products.
Since recently, this public idea of wellness, though, seems to have developed into a primarily appearance-focussed status symbol. One where the soap dispenser or room scent speaks about your social position, your lifestyle. So what if Aesop challenged this image with a position that focuses primarily on the inner wellness experience?
In this self-initiated project, I built on this core value, the retail significance of the brand, and it’s social commitment, imagining a collaboration between Aesop and Headspace. As an in-store community event, the partnership would unfold across all Aesop stores offering meditation workshops on site and a 28-day meditation guide via the Headspace app.
© Luisa Kuhlewind
© Luisa Kuhlewind
© Luisa Kuhlewind
© Luisa Kuhlewind
© Luisa Kuhlewind
© Luisa Kuhlewind
Case Study: Aesop x Headspace
15 January 2025
Words by Luisa Kuhlewind
Cover by Luisa Kuhlewind
