Enduring Forms is an Aesop initiative that explores renewable materials for retail displays and visual merchandising. Presented during 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen, the latest edition introduces a bioplastic material developed by Melbourne-based researcher and designer Jessie French of Other Matter.
Created from algae, the flexible sheet material was used to launch Aesop's Parsley Seed Skin Care range and appeared as oversized product silhouettes and removable window installations across the brand's Copenhagen stores. The material features a green ombré appearance and was developed as an alternative to conventional petroleum-based signage and window graphics.
The project builds on Aesop's broader sustainability efforts, following the Aposē lighting collection introduced during Milan Design Week. At the Nyhavn and Kronprinsensgade locations, visitors could interact directly with the bioplastic installations, including peel-away product-shaped elements designed to be taken home.
Image Credit: Aesop
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Algae-based Signage
- Retail environments are beginning to replace petroleum-derived graphics with algae-based bioplastics that combine visual impact with lower-material-impact brand storytelling.
- Take-home Installations
- Removable display elements introduce a more participatory form of merchandising where temporary store fixtures become collectible customer touchpoints.
- Bio-material Aesthetics
- Naturally derived textures, colors, and translucency are reshaping premium visual merchandising by making sustainability visible as part of the design language.
Where This Applies
- Retail Design
- Store designers have new room to differentiate branded spaces through renewable display systems that reduce reliance on conventional plastics and vinyl graphics.
- Sustainable Materials
- Bioplastic developers are finding commercial relevance in high-visibility applications where performance, flexibility, and compostable or renewable origins can be demonstrated.
- Beauty Retail
- Premium beauty brands are using sustainable fixtures and installations to align product launches with environmental values and immersive in-store experiences.
