Shanghai Tag

Aesop Soap Bar SHANGHAI — Aesop Soap Bar For its first brick-and-mortar retail store in China, Aesop picked a leafy serpentine street called Dongping Road in the previous French Concession of downtown Shanghai. Aesop’s in-house design team spent almost a yr fine-tuning the shop. The 2-story, 3,230-square-foot space touts a homely ambiance with locally sourced materials that “pays homage to Chinese craftsmanship,” in accordance with the brand. Sleek basins that take center stage at the shop are made with Guizhou travertine stone, which local artisans sculpted. A ceiling cushioned by a wheat-straw installation handwoven by Chinese artist Didi Wu evokes local handicraft traditions still utilized within the Shanghai region. Vintage French furniture and light-weight fixtures that furnish the shop add to its discreet...