Aēsop, the Australian-based skincare company has opened its latest retail shop on Larchmont Blvd at 128 N. Larchmont Blvd., their fifth shop in our local area.
Aesop offers a wide range of natural hair and skincare products, fragrances, candles, and even items for pets that consumers have likely seen at commercial establishments like restaurants and hotels. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, the company has offices and stores all over the world. In 2003 the company expanded to direct consumer retail locations in malls and shopping streets like Larchmont. They use plant-based ingredients in all their products which include skincare, home and fragrance lines packaged in their signature amber bottles with black and beige labels.
“The design of Aesop Larchmont, Los Angeles, is a meditation on minimal intervention,” explained the company’s marketing team. “The brand’s in-house team embraced the existing shell of the unit, which, with its concrete floor, columns, and exposed ceiling beams—a little worn and raw—has the spirit of a lively atelier. The existing façade, with its ample window, permits natural light to flood into the space, while an astonishing zenith of light streams in from the depths of the store.”
We met store manager Linda Susanto when we stopped by shortly after they opened on Memorial Day weekend. Susanto, a seven-year veteran of Aesop, gave us a tour of the shop while her staff was serving tea and helping customers try various products.
In the center of the shop are four stainless-steel basins made from repurposed stock material found at the millworker’s factory set into pieces of limestone from a Kansas quarry, according to the company. The design illustrates the company’s “less is more” aesthetic with the functional timber frames revealing drainpipes. The entire unit can be disassembled, relocated, and given a second life if needed.
Customers are encouraged to explore Aesop’s full line of products at the basin, a feature in every retail location designed specifically to reflect the personality of the store. The flow and temperature of the water is regulated for conservation. Larchmont has a single basin tucked in the back of the shop if you prefer to try products on your face like you might at home, explained the company. And after all your shopping and experimenting or if you are waiting for someone else who is doing all that, there’s a midcentury sofa for hanging out and enjoying the space.
You have to appreciate Aesop’s thoughtful and precise approach to store design. With the opening of Aesop, the Larchmont Mercantile is now fully occupied.
Aesop at 128 N Larchmont Blvd.
