Aesop turns boutiques into Queer and Women’s Libraries giving away empowering books in Berlin Brighton and Taiwan
Aesop is bringing its Queer Library and Women’s Library activations back around the world, creating ephemeral literary spaces that centre diverse perspectives and underrepresented voices, and inviting visitors to choose a complimentary book to take home in cities including Berlin, Brighton and locations in Taiwan.
Ephemeral libraries for underrepresented voices
The Aesop Queer Library and Women’s Library temporarily transform selected Aesop stores by clearing product from shelves and replacing it with curated collections of books by LGBTQIA+ authors, women writers and allies. These installations are built on Aesop’s belief in the transformative power of storytelling, especially when it comes from voices that have historically been overlooked or marginalised.
Visitors are invited to browse the titles in-store and select one complimentary book to keep, with no purchase required—turning a beauty retail space into a free micro-library focussed on empowerment, representation and critical thinking.
2026 editions: Berlin, Brighton and Taiwan
This year,…
the programme includes new chapters in Europe and Asia: In Berlin, the Aesop Queer Reading Room returns to the Aesop Store Kurfürstendamm, running from 22–25 July 2026, creating a dedicated space for queer literature and discussion.
In the UK, Aesop Brighton will host a Queer Reading Room from 31 July–2 August 2026, following earlier Queer Library activations in Aesop Soho and Aesop Spitalfields earlier in the month.
Aesop and L’Oréal Groupe communications also highlight an upcoming chapter in Taiwan in October, extending the concept to East Asia as part of a broader campaign to “Create the Beauty That Moves the World.” These dates continue a global rollout that has previously included Queer Libraries in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Copenhagen and Melbourne, each adapted to local communities while retaining the core idea of beauty spaces turned into book spaces.
Celebrating stories that challenge assumptions The reading lists for the Queer Library often spotlight trans and non-binary voices and titles that challenge assumptions, broaden empathy and document queer histories, such as works centred on figures like Marsha P. Johnson or anthologies of queer poetry. For the…
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