Aesop Kyoto

A balance of light and shade

Our first Kyoto signature store was created in collaboration with the SIMPLICITY team under the leadership of Shinichiro Ogata. Its design was inspired by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows, the aesthetics of fourteenth-century actor and playwright Zeami Motokiyo, Kyoto’s machiya townhouses, and the vertical alignment of Japanese text.

A black-and-white palette effects play of light and shade throughout the interior, articulated by a veil of blackened mesh that demarcates the entrance corridor from the retail area; our signature bottles are sewn through the fabric in calligraphic order. Also denoting respect for tradition, the interior is anchored by a central island housing a demonstration sink fitted with copper plumbing.