The Brands That Mix Beauty With Culture

Fashion has long oscillated between worlds separate to that which it occupies; Schiaparelli and Dali, Louis Vuitton and Murukami/Yamamoto, Prada’s spring/summer 2019 collection - created in collaboration with a trio of female architects - even & Other Stories and interiors brand House of Hackney… The relationship between beauty and other creative genres however is still, arguably, behind the curve. But there is a cultural switch bubbling under the mainstream. It is one that is currently driven by “beyond beauty” niche brands like Aesop, and fragrance labels such as Byredo, Buly and Diptyque. This new mood does not operate in a silo where the collaborators are social media influencers with huge followings in the beauty world. Instead these brands are tapping operators and tastemakers - established, niche, new guard and left of centre - moving in the worlds of art, design, music, film, literature, and fashion. It is a fluidity that is spawning an exciting, culture-driven subgenre of the beauty industry. And so right now, in the words of Moj Madhara, co-founder and CEO of Beauty Con Media, “beauty is officially a cultural movement”.

This subversion of traditional beauty partnership codes, says Victoria Buchanan, strategic researcher at forecasting agency The Future Laboratory, is being fuelled by the rise of more intellectual reference points. “Brands are now looking to these cultural collaborations to provide an antithesis to the mass market. By intersecting with other subcultures, it creates opportunities and ways to engage with the brand (and consumer) much more intensely.”

This unorthodox approach to building a beauty brand lies at the core of Aesop’s genetic code and therefore permeates everything the brand does. Case in point, the dinner held recently to celebrate the opening of the latest store and a new product launch from the cooler-than-thou Australian brand...

The new product being launched was a brass oil burner created with acclaimed Melbourne-based artist Henry Wilson, marking Aesop’s first foray into product design. And the store? Well, that’s the clincher. It was designed by Luca Guadagnino, the illustrious film director behind I Am Love, A Bigger Splash, Suspiria (all starring Tilda Swinton) and notably the Oscar-winning Call Me By Your Name. This came about after a chance (fortuitous?) meeting at the infamous Chateau Marmont between Guadagnino and Aesop founder Dennis Paphitis. A surprising alliance? Quite. But you only need to look at their loyal (and growing) cult followings to see that the history of following the beat of their own drums has always paid dividends. “These kind of partnerships,” explains Buchanan, “offer beauty brands an opportunity to align with an individual attitude and an authenticity. And this appeals to consumers.”

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