"A product has to work, but if it can do so with a little poetry, all the better." These words were spoken by Dennis Paphitis, founder of Aesop, in an interview with The Talks. These words are Aesop. AND Aesop is pronounced I-sop
This Australian brand founded in 1987 (it's 34 years old!) is not original. In fact, on its own website there is a phrase from Carlyle that says: "The merit of originality It is not in the novelty; it is in the sincerity." What it proposes is also done by other brands: creating effective and enjoyable products. The what is relatively common. What is important in it is the how. The how is enveloping. Every millimeter of the packaging (often copied) is a response to a decision. Zadie Smith has written in her magazine. Her stores, those stores we seek out and always go into, have been designed by everyone from Snøhetta to Luca Guadagnino, including the Campana brothers. The amber colour of her bottles, her tubes, the typography (Helvetica and Optima) and the messages are unmistakable.
The products of Aesop generate an unusual fidelity in cosmetics, a naturally unfaithful territory. If not, just ask those who use their products. Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash or its Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser.
Aesop It has products for face, hair, body, fragrances and home. It is a whole world. All products are made obsessively, choosing the most exquisite ingredients, testing and re-testing, taking care of the launch rhythms so as not to saturate.They are easy to use, enjoyable and of course very effective; they take between two and ten years to formulate. There are good cosmetics within their packaging.
Paphitis goes on to say in that same interview: "I like ideas and products that reveal themselves slowly, that are more of a whisper than a shout, that are something that becomes part of our private universe." Who uses Aesop You know what we're talking about. Yours are companion products, they fit into your life and into your home without being a nuisance, just like a friend who comes to visit you.