Aēsop Pitt Street marks a world-first for the fragrance brand and new place for the senses to feast. Introducing the Sensorium.
As the global flagship store, Aēsop Pitt Street is one of the largest in terms of floorspace, and drew attention for its raw and visceral fitout by Snøhetta when it opened in 2019.
Aēsop Pitt Street used the extended lockdown of 2021 to its advantage, creating a new kind of immersive space for its customers. The Sensorium is an intimate experience that focuses solely on smell and aroma. The Aēsop team collaborated once again with Snøhetta to bring the concept to life.
Conceived as a space within a space, the new Sensorium is a direct contract to the rest of the store in terms of aesthetic. Cocooning, warm and free-flowing in form, the Sensorium invites an envelopment of the senses – just as the name suggests. The bulbous and curvaceous form is inspired by the aspirating molecules of perfume.
The layering of the zones within the shop speaks to the same layering that occurs within the fragrances. Much in the way that the Sensorium invites you to move through the store and step into a new world, the range of Aēsop fragrances take ideas of conceptual realms and float them within distilled natural ingredients.
The dedicated consultation area showcases the full range of Aēsop fragrances, as well as candles and home fragrances. Interactive elements such as tactile displays of raw ingredients sit alongside videos with master perfumer Barnabe Fillion, who is the mastermind behind many of the seven fragrances.
Inviting people to follow their curiosity, the Sensorium features a special cabinet called the Fragrance Armoire, where a coat or a scarf is hung while you discover the perfect fragrance. Visitors are advised to expect to leave cloaked in scent.
The Sensorium evokes equal parts intimacy and theatre, it’s a liminal space that explores something new for bricks and mortar retail. Aēsop Pitt Street is something of a world first, leaving curious visitors awakened through a world of fragrance.
