For at least 40,000 years, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Boonwurrung peoples of the Kulin nation tended to the land that is now known as Maribyrnong, Victoria, where Highpoint Shopping Centre is located. We pay deepest respects to Wurundjeri and Bunurong Elders and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.
In their research for the second incarnation of Aesop at Highpoint, our in-house designers looked to the local history of rope manufacturing, which boomed in the 1860s and 70s and continued operations until the late 1950s. They were particularly interested in the milling and use of flax fibre, which was prized for its strength and durability. The architectural vision for the store revolves around creating a protective shell and a welcoming threshold that encourage curious noses to explore the space within. A figurative cocoon is fashioned from masses of flax cord utilised in tensegrity such that gravity appears to be defied. The rope curtain system—at times dense and fastened, at others diaphanous and mobile—creates a hushed parenthesis within which patrons can take refuge from the agitation of the retail surrounds.
The store is arranged around an immense circular basin, which is clad in flax upholstery. Around its circumference, and with flowing water, visitors can encounter the full range of our products for the skin, hair, body and home. A tucked-away individual basin and mirror offers the opportunity to delve deeper into one’s foray, with customers invited to apply formulations directly onto their face, as if in the privacy of their own home. While reclining on the ample flax linen seat, guests can sample our nonconformist Eaux de Parfum and discern their personal preferences.