Aesop Milano Cordusio

Scenography of a subterrain

Mere steps from the Cordusio metro station, Aesop Milano emulates the design ethos of the city’s first underground rapid transit line, which opened in 1964. Our in-house design team looked to the generous subterranean spaces along the Linea Rossa, where hardwearing materials such as rubber, stone and metal tubing are transformed into futuristic and ergonomic compositions. Against a speckled terrazzo structure and moss green partitions, bold red handrails snake around the stations at varying heights, providing physical support for all patrons.

Working within the framework of a century-old building, our store transports visitors into an abstracted tunnel of studded rubber. The insertion is conceived as scenography, with each element designed to be modular and adaptable so that the space can be transformed into a cultural stage or public forum. As an ode to their fundamental functionality, services that run across the ceiling are highlighted in red rather than hidden. At the expansive linear basin—an exalted interpretation of the public wash station—passers-by are encouraged to linger for convivial encounters with our nonconformist formulations for the skin, hair, body and home.

Through a central portal, an intimate underground carriage of sorts is revealed: an ample velvet seating booth beckons to weary ramblers, while two individual basins accommodate in-depth journeys through the Aesop range.