At Milan Design Week, the skincare brand Aesop has moved beyond the apothecary shelf to explore the physics of illumination. Hosted within the cloister of the 15th-century Chiesa del Carmine, the brand’s "The Factory of Light" installation serves as a backdrop for Aposē, its first-ever collection of lighting fixtures. The space, described by Aesop’s director of global retail design Marianne Lardilleux as an "imaginative city of Milan," uses scaffolding printed with local architectural motifs to create a dialogue between the historic site and modern industrial design.
The Aposē collection—comprising a table lamp, a pendant, and a floor lamp—marks a significant pivot for a brand defined by its meticulous retail environments. Rather than looking to traditional lighting archetypes, the design team drew inspiration from Aesop’s most recognizable physical artifact: the aluminum hand balm tube. By abstracting the cylindrical form of its packaging into a series of minimalist luminaires, the brand attempts to codify its aesthetic language into a permanent household object.
Lardilleux notes that the transition from designing retail spaces to individual products was a natural extension of the brand’s ethos. "Light really is part of our philosophy—we illuminate every skin," she told *Dezeen*. The installation and the resulting collection suggest a broader ambition for the company, moving from the ephemeral experience of skincare into the enduring realm of industrial design, allowing consumers to integrate the brand’s specific atmospheric sensibilities directly into their domestic lives.
With reporting from Dezeen.
Source · Dezeen