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The Fragrance Armoire: an uncommonly perfumed experience

Aesop design

A nose sculpture placed in alabaster background

Each Aesop store is created with the purpose of attending to the body, the mind, and the senses. This informs every design element and interpersonal exchange: the scent that welcomes visitors into the space; the fixtures that allow light—and shadows—to fall in a certain way; the materials that provide textural variety; the cup of tea offered to those seeking a brief reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

The crux of this experience is immersion—a momentary setting-aside of the day’s duties to fully inhabit a restorative bracket of time. It finds full expression in the Fragrance Armoire, a bespoke piece of furniture that opens a unique passage into the world of aroma at Aesop.

A hand opening a wooden door

The design of the Fragrance Armoire

The Fragrance Armoire has been developed to enhance the in-store experience of the aromas and inspirations of our Eaux de Parfum.

Though no two Armoires are exactly alike, each takes the shape of a doored cabinet that opens to reveal a microcosm of scent. In some instances, this space is comprised simply of elegant shelving, where amber bottles sit in regimented readiness, waiting to be sampled. Some examples of the Fragrance Armoire also feature drawers containing scented ceramic discs, while in others, the shelves are paired with an infusion chamber, where visitors may hang an item of clothing—a coat or a scarf, perhaps—and have that garment suffused with the fragrance of their choosing.

Whatever the arrangement of the Armoire, its presence in-store provides a focused opportunity to experience each aroma, be it spritzed in the air, onto a garment or fragrance card, or directly onto the skin.

Hands holding a wooden shelve displaying Aesop fragrances

Discovery guided by curiosity

A feeling of seclusion, even intimacy, resides in the Armoire’s interior—a ‘private moment’ away from the rest of the store, where curiosity can guide discovery, and each fragrance can be encountered in a spirit of whim, solemnity, or play.

There’s something of an embrace to the way the Armoire encompasses an interaction between visitor and consultant—one that invites heightened attention, and incites deeper discussion. Conversations about ingredients can give way to stories about the inspiration behind the scent. Note evocations. Image associations. Childhood memories. Future plans.

Aesop Eaux de Parfum

An intriguing, unconventional array of aromas, the Aesop fragrances range from floral, to fresh, to woody, to opulent. Each of the Eaux de Parfum is composed of exceptional ingredients and extraordinary stories. From voyages on raging seas, to quiet walks through lush woods, to somnambulant shifts through states of consciousness, these fragrances trail the mind and senses through epic tales, faraway memories, and imagined horizons, alike.

A hand grabbing Aesop fragrance in amber bottle from a wooden box

The Sensorium

In four Aesop stores, the concept and consequence of the Armoire expands quite literally into the Sensorium—an entire room designed to rouse the senses, subvert expectations, and evoke worlds beyond the immediate environment.

Visitors can delve more deeply than ever into the inspirations behind our Eaux de Parfum while engaging with each fragrance directly, and imbuing a piece of clothing with scent in an infusion chamber, as desired.

Four unique iterations of the Sensorium have been realised at Aesop Sydney, Aesop Dongping Road, Aesop Amu Plaza Hakata and Aesop Thonglor, each providing visitors with the opportunity to be enveloped in a series of engrossing olfactory experiences.

Three Aesop candles burning on a rose coloured shelf on a wall

Locations

A feature of select stores only, the Fragrance Armoire can be visited at a number of locales, worldwide.

Discover now
a round wooden sculpture
Bottle of Gloam Eau de Parfum.
Lessons from the lab
Three-minute read
A reflection of an Eidesis Eau de Parfum bottle in a pool of rippling water.
Lessons from the lab
Three-minute read
A lit stick of incense sitting alongside a mid-century chair.
Habitat
Five-minute read

‘Fragrance is the voice of inanimate things.’

Mary Webb