Little over a year ago, Aesop landed in mainland China, opening its first standalone store in Shanghai. Fast forward to today, and the Australian cosmetics brand has already achieved a tremendous retail expansion, opening its fifth retail space in this sprawling city. The new store occupies a ground floor unit in the meticulously renovated Zhenguang Building, which is part of the so-called Rockbund, the most northern end of Shanghai‘s historic The Bund district. The area, the exclusive domain of American and European powers from the mid-19th century to 1943, is dotted with Art Deco-style, red brick structures, all renovated by acclaimed practice David Chipperfield Architects, and new buildings. The store interior, created by the Hong Kong-based design practice MLKK Studio, takes ample cues from the building’s red brick façade, using Chinese clay to mimic a similar warm hue indoors. The monochrome setting is captured by wall-mounted tiered shelving, cabinets with built-in sinks lining the large windows, and last but not least, brick-like flooring. A double sales counter with terracotta tile tops sit in the middle of the premises. The new Aesop store stocks the brand’s full range of face, body and hair care products, in addition to fragrances and home products.