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A few doors down from our original Fashion Walk store, our reimagined presence within the Causeway Bay shopping centre is one of retreat and reflection. A partnership between our in-house design team and longstanding collaborators MLKK Studio, the space explores craftsmanship and materials that resonate with the architects’ memories of growing up in Hong Kong, establishing a comforting and hospitable atmosphere while carving out a sense of intrigue and enveloping retreat.
在调查过程中，MLKK开始沉思云纹板的潜在可能性——这是一种在上世纪七八十年代香港无处不在的家用家具饰面产品，以其耐用性和低廉的价格而受到青睐。建筑师们在旧工厂和分销中心遇到了这些装饰精美的面板的“积压库存”，并给自己设定了一个挑战，那就是用它们创造出具有实用性的作品。Aesop时尚步行街的地板便是对这种具有文化意义材料的致敬：回收的饰面板被分解成小碎片，然后组装成地板马赛克，其中既承载着当地制造业的历史，又迎接着新的足迹。
During their investigations, MLKK started musing on the unsung possibilities of cloudy pattern board—a household furniture finishing product that was ubiquitous in 1970s and 1980s Hong Kong, valued for its durability and inexpensiveness. The architects encountered ‘dead stock’ of the delicately decorative panels in old factories and distribution centres, and set themselves the challenge of crafting something functional out of it. The floor of Aesop Fashion Walk is thus a tribute to this culturally significant material: the reclaimed veneer was broken down into small shards which were then assembled into a floor mosaic that holds the history of local manufacturing while also welcoming new feet.
马赛克地板的淡蓝色延伸到拱形天花板，天花板与墙壁之间的界限被流畅的线条模糊，营造出供人休憩和享受私密的壁隅。室内中央摆放着一个巨大的洗手盆，与拱形几何结构相呼应，同时为顾客提供充足的聚集和交流空间，让他们在此过程中探索我们为肌肤、秀发、身体和家居提供的全方位产品系列。
The pale blue of the mosaic washes over the vaulted ceiling, whose boundaries with the walls are blurred by fluid lines, creating alcoves that offer respite and privacy. A monumental basin occupies the centre of the room, echoing the arched geometry and providing ample opportunity for customers to gather and connect while discovering our full range of formulations for the skin, hair, body and home.
进一步深入店内，顾客会沿着长长的产品展示区被引导至两个相邻的产品探索区。一侧设有独立洗手盆，顾客可以在此享受量身定制的咨询服务，仿佛置身于自己私密舒适的浴室中体验产品。另一侧，一个香水衣柜隐藏着我们非传统香水系列的世界。为了向Aesop时尚步行街的首次设计致敬，MLKK从之前的店铺中回收了铜材，并与当地金属工匠合作，重新设计并打造出衣柜内部璀璨夺目的空间。当顾客打开衣柜时，他们不仅会遇到各种精心收藏的香水，还可能欣赏到香港工艺的精致之处以及材料延续的故事。
Further within, customers are guided by lengths of product display towards two adjacent niches of product exploration. On one side, individual basins allow for tailored consultations where customers can engage in product applications as if from the secluded comfort of their own bathroom. On the other, a Fragrance Armoire conceals our world of unconventional Eaux de Parfum. Honouring their first design for Aesop Fashion Walk, MLKK salvaged copper from the previous store and, with a local metalsmith, re-fashioned it to create the cabinet’s luminous interior. When customers open the Armoire, they will not only encounter a diverse array of fragrances—each carefully archived—but might also appreciate the meticulous Hong Kong craftsmanship and the story of material continuity.
MLKK Studio is founded in 2016 by four young architects with a vision to participate in the redefinition of architectural responses to present and future problematics of the human habitat. The Studio’s approach, methodology and practice is informed by a conscious and mindful understanding of human needs uncovered through rigorous in-the-field research.
