
Aesop's Leeds Location Draws From the Grandeur of Victorian Bathrooms
Known for its immersive in-store experiences and refined interior design, Aesop tailors its store concepts to each location. Completed in 1904, the County Arcade is a Leeds landmark, featuring ornate interior finishes such as mosaics, marble, and delicate ironwork. Overflowing with natural light from glass roofing, the building belongs to a genre of late 19th-century/early 20th-century leisure centers that were developed in rapidly growing city centers.
The store plays off of these sensibilities, looking to grand parlour-like bathrooms of the era, enabled by innovations in plumbing enjoyed by wealthy households. 'In this way, bathing transformed into an activity of leisure rather than of perfunctory hygiene,' Aesop shared in an official release.
With the Leeds store, Aesop reintroduces this moment in English culture and reimagines it for today's customer. 'A place to unwind, to converse, to cleanse,' the store comprises three different rooms threaded together by an enfilade.
Timber-panelled cabinets featuring enamelled troughs are consistent throughout the shop, allowing visitors to try out products as they walk through. Combining patinated wooden flooring and shelves with bold green accents, the store is simultaneously modern and classic, true to Aesop's brand ethos.
Aesop Leeds25-29 County Arcade, Leeds, LS1 6BH

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21 hours ago
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The freedom to roam around the community freely and safely. Although, one of the 'cons' of having that freedom, is that you are not sheltered or censored from anyone or anything. There are a lot of traumatizing events witnessed by many of us who grew up on the Rez. Events that have resulted with many of us walking through life, hurt and damaged, heavy and broken, burdened with layers of PTSD from the events we have witnessed.' COMING OF AGE STORY Gould has written a fictional 'coming-of-age' story about an impressionable, naive teenager about to be introduced to sides of life he never knew existed. An actor since his teen years, the 53-year-old Gould is best known in Canada for his starring role as Det. Jerry Commanda in the crime drama 'Cardinal' which ran for four seasons on television in both English and French. He has also had roles in such hits as 'Outlander', 'FBI Most Wanted', 'Murdoch Mysteries,' 'DaVinci's Inquest', and Liam Neeson's movie, 'Cold Pursuit.' Gould says a lot of Nova Scotian actors were used in the film which was shot mostly in Dartmouth, Halifax and Eastern Passage. There was some drone overhead filming that used Millbrook First Nation as a backdrop. As well as writing and acting in his labour of love, he's a producer and director of the movie he hopes to show at film festivals in 2026. Although he would have loved to shoot it in Cape Breton, the island still lacks the infrastructure needed for feature-length films and the cost was prohibitive. Two of the young actors playing the main character's friends are from Eskasoni. One young man will have a story of being 'discovered' by Gould to tell in the future. Gould says he met Sydney Francis, 21, at an event at Sydney's Highland Arts Theatre. 'I saw him and I thought, 'who is that kid?' He has a great look for film. He has long native hair and a really cool look to him. And then I was at a wake in Eskasoni and he was tending the sacred fire.' 'I asked him if he ever thought of acting and he said, 'not really.' And then he said: 'but that would be kind of cool.' Gould said he thought of him when the part in Jeffrey's Turn came up, so Francis auditioned. He got the part and is in his first movie. A second person from Eskasoni is Desna Michael Thomas, 24, who is cast as a non-binary character. Thomas has some previous acting experience. They were nominated for an outstanding performance award by Screen Nova Scotia in 2022 for their role in the movie Wildhood. It's been ten years since Gould started the draft for Jeffrey's Turn and told Halifax producer Hank White of Stone Cold Productions, about it. A couple of years later, government funding became available for film projects and White asked him about it again. He liked what he heard and optioned the project. And Gould says 'it's been a journey' ever since. WRONGFUL CONVICTION Being a part of the Donald Marshall Sr. and Jr. family changed the trajectory of Gould's life from the time he was a child. Donald Marshall Sr. – his grandfather – was Grand Chief of the Mi'kmaq Nation for 27 years. His son, and Gould's uncle, Donald Marshall Jr. was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1971 and spent 11 years in prison. His case unveiled systemic racism within the Canadian justice system. A Royal Commission later found the system failed him 'at virtually every turn.' Gould remembers the family always believing in his uncle's innocence, but the children in the family – including himself – were taunted at school before the conviction was overturned. Jeffrey's Turn is in part, an homage to his uncle. In fact, there is a scene in the movie where Gould, as Donald Marshall Jr., re-enacts the fight scene that led to his uncle's wrongful murder conviction. 'It's partially my story of bonding with my uncle, but it's his story too,' Gould says. The facts of the case are that in 1971, Donald Marshall Jr. and Sandy Seale, both teenagers, came across Roy Ebsary and Jimmy MacNeil in Wentworth Park in downtown Sydney. A fight broke out and Seale was stabbed by Ebsary who already had a criminal record for violence. Despite Marshall Jr. flagging police down to get help for Seale and telling them about Ebsary and MacNeil who fled the park, it was Marshall they arrested for murder. After a trial in which he always maintained his innocence, Marshall was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Ten years later, Ebsary confessed to the crime. An appeals court overturned the conviction, and a Royal Commission investigated the case, finding significant flaws in the justice system and highlighting racial bias. Marshall was Mi'kmaq and the victim, Seale, was black. JUSTICE DENIED It was when the National Film Board made the movie: 'Justice Denied', and Gould drove his grandparents to the set every day, (they played themselves in the film), that Gould thought acting was something he would like to be involved in. 'When they were filming, I was living with my grandparents and driving for them. I met the producers, director and actors.' 'One of them was a native actor from Manitoba, In fact I had to ask him: 'so you're a real native like me?' And he said yeah. He was like, 'I'm from the trap line in Manitoba.' 'I didn't even know what that was! So I asked and he said it meant that his family moved around from camp to camp.' He told Gould that his uncle was founder of the Native Earth Theatre Company in Toronto, and that's how he was working in film. Two years later, not finding much to keep him in Cape Breton around 1990, Gould travelled to Toronto, introduced himself to the people at what is now the oldest professional Indigenous theatre company in Canada, and lived the struggling actor lifestyle for a few months until the opportunity came along to act in Ojibway playwright, Drew Hayden Taylor 's one-act play: Toronto at Dreamer's Rock. Gould is happy to have the opportunity to write, act and direct in something that will remind people of his uncle's story. 'I took a bit of creative license to make it a good story,' he says. He adds that it's a story within a story – but it's an important one. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? 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