Aesop opened a flagship store at No. 19 WF Central in Beijing on Wednesday, May 1. Situated within a reconstructed courtyard residence in the Wangfujing district, the store was conceptualized and designed by Aesop’s design team in collaboration with Brush Architecture Studio. The original architectural structure of the residence was preserved. This isn’t the first time the Australian brand has employed a localization strategy. As part of its “Women's Literature Library” event in March this year, Aesop distributed some 23,000 books written by women to free-thinking urbanites who lined up outside of its stores. The retailer replaced every item in the store with an assortment of books featuring female authors or female-centered subjects. The books, which cover a wide range of topics and genres, provide insights into all facets of a woman’s development. The odd but successful pairing of books and fragrances was hailed a major success. Aesop’s carefully chosen Shanghai booklist, which includes writings by female authors such as Hannah Arendt, Susan Sontag, and Chinese scholar Zhang Li, garnered over 1.2 million views on Xiaohongshu. The Australian brand encouraged users to share the list to promote the writings of women.
