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AESOP’S PHILOSOPHER KING

BY EUGENE RABKIN BEST OF, DESIGN, FEATURES/OP-ED JUL

11, 2017
TAGS:  2017 AESOP DENNIS PAPHITIS DESIGN EUGENE RABKIN
JAMESPLUMB STYLEZEITGEIST VINCENT VAN DUYSEN
VINCENZO DE COTIIS

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Interviewing the founder of a grooming brand, now that’s something

I would have never thought I would do. But when I first encountered
Aesop, it made me do something I expected no face cream
manufacturer ever would – it made me think. It was some years ago,
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when I stumbled upon its Marais boutique in Paris. The tiny store’s
earthiness combined with the richness of NEWS its textures drew me in. It
was like nothing else, with every detail carefully considered. And
then of course there were the products, their deceptively simple
packaging and their scents that had just the right balance  of allure
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and understatement, like a perfectly executed minimalist
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There were also the relatively hefty price tags that made you sigh
and be secretly happy for those hand lotion sample bottles attached
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to the shop’s front door; you felt slightly guilty for using them, but you
did anyway (don’t judge, I know you’ve done the same).
Gradually, I began to see Aesop stores multiply like mushrooms all
over the globe. Any city I traveled to, any noteworthy neighborhood I
visited, there was an Aesop shop. Each one looked different and
was imbued with a sense of meticulous attention and care. I liked
that Aesop did not use cookie-cutter blueprint in order to cut costs,
the practice that is turning contemporary cities into a dispiriting,
homogenous mess of bland storefronts. Instead, the company
engaged different designers and architects, and not your average
starchitects that get you into the Architectural Digest, but what in
fashion we call designers’ designers – Vincent Van Duysen,
Vincenzo De Cotiis, Studio Ko, and JamesPlumb, among others.
“Our experience working with Aesop was that when a brief is
phenomenally clear and concise, and at the same time allows so
much room for freedom of expression, we as a studio were really
able to explore our most experimental and exciting ideas,” said
Hannah Plumb of JamesPlumb, the design duo that recently
completed the latest Aesop’s London outpost, with water as the
overarching theme. “For a global brand to not blink twice at having
water flowing through its shelves shows that clarity feeds creativity,
and that bold ideas can marry with rigorously practical needs.”

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03:24

Lamb’s Conduit Store in London by JamesPlumb

Since then the cult of Aesop has grown immensely. And let’s face it,
for a grooming brand to become an aesthetic cult is quite an
achievement. I have used Aesop at Rick Owens’s house and his
Paris showroom, at the Boris Bidjan Saberi store in New York, and
at Yotam Ottolenghi’s restaurants in London, and that list can go on
for a long time. And the fact that an Aesop bottle is now an
indispensable artifact of any lame bathroom ad has not turned me
(and all of the above) off is a testament in itself that quality has the
capacity to resist banalization through overuse.
Most grooming products I have used or sampled fall into the
category of “this smells nice,” meaning that I have never been
stopped in my tracks by a hand soap, the way I have by say an
intricately constructed coat. That is until the first time I washed my
hands with Aesop’s hand soap that contained finely milled Pumice
stone. It wasn’t just that it smelt and felt good, the little grinds
providing a smooth tactile sensation, but for the first time I found
myself EXPERIENCING the process of washing hands, instead of
doing it as a chore, while being elsewhere in my head. If all of this
sounds like a dumb grooming ad, indulge me, and in return I will
spare you philosophical insights about being in the moment and
such. The one thought I kept returning to while having repeated
encounters with the brand was that here was a product of careful

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consideration and care, and that whoever created this must think
outside the usual parameters of running aNEWS
business.
That someone is Dennis Paphitis, the Australian-born son of Greek
immigrants, who opened a hair salon in Melbourne in 1987, for
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which the first Aesop products were created. FORUM 󬁑 $0   
Like many other
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successful creators, his desire to propose something to the world
came from dissatisfaction of what was available at the time. “In
terms of grooming products available in 1987, STORE
the offer was at least
as ugly as it is today, perhaps with a little less choice,” Paphitis told
me in an email interview. “Brands and products were and are still
largely formulated by culturally bereft, commercially obsessed,
consensus-driven committees of ‘experts.’”
“Culturally bereft” is the key phrase here and is typical for Paphitis,
who tends to think in terms of larger cultural context. That’s why
Aesop is named after the famous Greek fabulist, why its website is
peppered with quotes (our interview begins with one from a Spanish
philosopher you will rarely encounter outside of an MA program),
why it considers the likes of the Paris Review of Books and the DIA
its partners, and why it has a separate website dedicated to Aesop’s
philosophy of store building. All of this might sound incredibly
pretentious if only the proof wasn’t in the proverbial pudding.
“Life is a series of collisions with the future; it is not the sum of what
we have been, but what we yearn to be.” Jose Ortega y Gasset
Eugene Rabkin: How did the idea of creating Aesop come about?
What did you see lacking in an already crowded field of personal
grooming?
Dennis Paphitis: In terms of grooming products available in 1987,
the offer was at least as ugly as it is today, perhaps with a little less
choice. Brands and products were and are still largely formulated by
culturally bereft, commercially obsessed, consensus-driven
committees of ‘experts’. It’s astonishing to me that such an
approach can be considered sustainable and worthy of human
satisfaction. Aesop has always taken the view that a well-considered
and properly engineered product must have some global resonance
and stand the test of time. We found our voice by operating outside
the system; our interest has always been around ‘less and much
better’. The energy is directed inside the containers rather than
wasting time on packaging and decoration, our aesthetic codes
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were born out of functional requirements and not through an

outsourced branding agency commissioned NEWS
to construct a brand
personality. For us what we do feels completely normal, there’s no
other way we’d prefer to operate.
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ER: How did you find global success? TheFORUM
brand has existed󬁑since$0  
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1987, but has undergone a rapid expansion in the past ten years or
so.
DP: I’m not sure what success means, we felt STORE
happy when we
opened our first store in 2003, and we will feel happy when we open
our 200th later this year. Not much has changed regarding the
company spirit and healthy self-doubt; maybe we stress a little less
some days but in the end, we’re only as good as our last jar of face
cream. Our visibility has certainly increased since 1987; we now
have stores and offices in 17 regions across the world, but we have a
long way to go and not every one of our gestures is as elegant as
they will be. There’s always room to sharpen our thinking and
challenge our assumptions. Aesop has smart and stable people with
impressive tenure and robust resilience. Longevity matters, it’s not
possible to do things our way unless it’s all absorbed from the
ground up, it’s a complete and interconnected ecosystem that takes
years to grasp and metabolize. Nothing great happens overnight;
I’m so bored by the notion of instant gratification.
ER: Aesop is a meticulously thought-out brand, one that is truly
designed from top to bottom. By “true design” I mean that with
Aesop one does not feel that there is an aesthetic veneer over a
subpar core, but that its every aspect is considered. Could you
describe how you approach design and what it means to you?
DP: Design for us means a rounded, holistic and integrated thinking.
We are ‘thinkers’ rather than brand makers or marketers. What we try
and do is to configure solutions through our products and behind
these a cohesive backdrop through our stores and websites. The
‘selling’ largely happens by itself when all these factors dance
together as they should. Customers are smart; they can ‘smell’ truth
and sincerity in a product, they can feel and touch conviction by the
way a company behaves and conducts itself. Every tone, texture and
lightning variable in our spaces is considered and constantly
calibrated. Design is the blood of Aesop; it’s a non-negotiable part of
what we do. Design is ultimately a process of superfluous
elimination, its complete when there’s nothing left to remove,
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reducing the unnecessary and arriving at a solution that is sensual

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and seductive. It’s an act of love rather than speed and hysterical
attempts to please everybody.
ER: Can you give more insight into Aesop’s product development?
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DP: We’ve worked tirelessly for 30 years to source and configure
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formulations that are original, effective and provocative. We do not

violate, reference or plagiarize other brands; everything we do and
think is inside us. Our product developmentSTORE
process is intense,
laborious and expensive though that explains why we have 28-year-
old products that remain desirable and continue to attract
customers. Our senses and neurons, wired as they are, respond to
certain primal codes. When design is truly considered from a user-
centric perspective, many of the development obstacles and poor
assumptions start to fall away. Customers are already spoilt for
choice; the world does not need another ‘age-defying peptide’ piece
of rubbish. We strive to be the delightful and dependable ‘constant’
in your bathroom, to deliver a product of great utility that extends joy,
efficacy and assurance.
We never rush a product to market. The company projects forward on
a rolling five year basis for NPD (new product development); there
are clear and aligned thoughts around what the existing gaps and
needs are. For example, later this year we will launch the first
toothpaste and our third fragrance; these particular categories are
carefully scrutinized across all our markets before any technical work
even begins.
ER: I guess what I am trying to get at is that Aesop is a brand where
you approach everything with care.
DP: In a world where so much is careless, care matters a great deal.
I don’t know or understand any other way of being or working, and I
am disturbed by the prospect of lazy shortcuts. Trying to get things
right the first time round and improving with each iteration is no big
deal, this becomes second nature and a systemic way of working
and thinking. It’s also a question of personal satisfaction and
fulfillment; we find joy in great work.

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Hamburg store by Vincent Van Duysen

Milan store by Vincenzo De Cotiis

ER: You mine other aspects of culture for inspiration, especially

literature. How does culture influences you?

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DP: Our relationship with the arts has been integral to the
NEWSus at every level.
development of Aesop; it has fueled and inspired
We’ve always found richer inspiration in the way a brilliant writer
works and thinks than in the theories of the sharpest management
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consultant. Culture at Aesop is a verb; we need to see and
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as active fuel and sustenance. For 30 years when I’ve needed
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to
resolve or re-think an issue, it was not the HBR [Harvard Business
Review, editor’s note] I reached for; more often than not reading a
Paris Review article or interview cleared my STORE
head sufficiently and
the answers would eventually present themselves.
ER: You seem passionate about sharing cultural knowledge with
other people. Your website features quotes from writers and artists, a
blog with a literary bent, and even city guides
DP: Aesop’s Creative Director, Marsha Meredith has an exquisite
sensitivity and sensibility. The ongoing body of work generated by
her creative and literary team each month is overwhelming. Of
particular pride is the digital publication “The Fabulist’ and our
“Taxonomy of Design” architectural films.
ER: You have also developed relationships with the cultural
institutions like the DIA, The Met, and the Paris Review.
DP:The friendship that we enjoy with a small number of cultural
institutions has always been an important contribution to our
internal inspiration. There are so many ways to communicate with
customers and for Aesop it simply feels richer and more relevant to
align with and support the arts and artists themselves. DIA have a
phenomenal program that is has always been ahead of its game, the
Paris Review is still very much the reference point for discovering
and celebrating new literary voices, The Met began a terrific new
architectural program last year which we became involved with. 
ER: People are often skeptical about for-profit companies espousing
social values like environmentalism, community, and cultural
connection. Often, they are seen as appropriations. How do you
navigate that at Aesop?
DP: There is far too much corporate banter around values and
purpose, great companies ‘do’ more than they ‘say’ and they simply
‘get on with it’. It’s not so difficult to encode small, incremental and
constructive gestures that reduce waste (in every sense) and
increase positive solutions and social contribution. Behaving in a
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socially and environmentally responsible way is not a virtue, it ought

to be a base commercial obligation. NEWS
ER: One of the aspects that make Aesop stands out is the design of
your shops. What is the thinking behind store design and the
selection process for architects?  FORUM  
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DP: When we began it wasn’t a conscious strategy; the architecture

was for ourselves, our own well-being and an extension of how we
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operated at the back-end. We’ve since understood that great design
is universal, it resonates and makes people feel well, the emotion
and sincerity of a space can signal warmth, humor, an invitation to
connect. Design wise, we work best with either young, prodigious
talents that can be guided and nurtured or very established offices
who enjoy the challenge we provide despite our modest store sizes
and budgets. It’s important to work with dynamic people at their
peak professional moment, those who enjoy collaboration and are
committed to stretching their thinking and ours. Our interest in
architecture is sincere; we are aware of who is doing what and we
track this progress, inviting them to join when the time is right for
both groups. In addition, our in-house store design team consists of
17 talents in total; we have some exceptional people in this group in
our Paris, New York, and Melbourne offices. Each exchange has
been an experience, there’s always a little pain, yet some of the
results have been exceptional.
ER: We live in the world where quality is now synonymous with
luxury, and cheap crap is the new normal. Do you think we live in an
age of lowered standards? Is it possible to change this perception?
DP: The word ‘luxury’ has been tragically corporatized in the last
decade, the greatest luxury in our lives is health and clean water,
and certainly not branded luggage. Fast, cheap and dispensable
supports a large quantum of mindless consumption that ultimately
becomes disposable landfill. Less, better, smarter is how we prefer
to do it. A few great staples, that’s all most of us need rather than a
bounty of excess choices. By industry standards, Aesop remains
competitive and remarkable value for what is actually delivered. We
have retained all production in Australia and to a smaller degree,
France. Quality and fastidious production control matters
enormously to us, and we bear a premium for this.

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ER: At some point you sold Aesop to a large conglomerate, Natura.

Was this a hard decision? Were you afraidNEWS
that Aesop’s ethos will be
diluted?
DP: Not so hard. I was ready; Aesop was never about the ‘owning’
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for me and much more about the actual working $0   
process and󬁑related
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learning. 30 years is a huge chunk of life energy, it was time to
reclaim my own day-to-day space and some critical distance from a
very intense working life. Natura have beenSTORE
delightful to deal with;
they are emotive, romantic and committed, and there’s respect and
healthy comradeship between us.
ER: Are you still involved in the company? What are your current
pursuits?
DP: I continue to cooperate with the company on an advisory basis
in areas relating to the ethos, spirit and movement of Aesop. I also
sit on the board as an advisor where the practical and conceptual
elements of the business are scrutinized on a quarterly basis.
Outside of Aesop, I’m taking some time to learn, think and travel as
well as advise a number of promising start-ups.
Aesop / Taxonomy of Design

Taipei store by CJ Studio

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AUTHOR:  EUGENE RABKIN

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Eugene Rabkin is the founder of stylezeitgeist.com. He has contributed
articles on fashion and culture to The Business of Fashion, Vogue
 Russia,
Buro247, the Haaretz Daily Newspaper, and other publications. He
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taught critical writing and fashion writing courses at Parsons the New
School for Design.
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