In this space, beauty is no longer static, it moves, breathes, and evolves with us.
Created in response to a speculative brief from Estée Lauder Companies, Oxygen reimagines the future of beauty as something far beyond surface aesthetics. The concept questions the very notion of luxury in a time when clean air and water are increasingly scarce. In an industry saturated with trends, products, and wellness obsessions, Oxygen reframes beauty as a responsive, ecological, and bodily experience, one grounded in air, breath, and presence.
Rather than offering a singular product or treatment, the project proposes a multi-sensory environment that invites visitors to reflect on what beauty means in a world shaped by environmental crisis. When the very air we breathe becomes toxic, can any cream or serum truly be luxurious? Oxygen challenges the systems behind beauty culture, from supply chains and waste to chemical use and carbon footprints, foregrounding the tensions between consumerism and sustainability, wellness and extraction.
This project is not about commodifying breath or turning air into a luxury good. Instead, it raises the necessary question of accountability, particularly for global beauty corporations. If beauty brands are to imagine new futures, those futures must begin with systemic change. Oxygen serves as a provocation, asking: what would it mean for these companies to radically reorient their practices around ecological care, not just aesthetics?
The spatial design acts as both vessel and narrative, guiding visitors through a layered landscape. The experience unfolds in two parts: an interactive space exposing the invisible impact of air pollution on skin and health, followed by a meditative oxygen pod, a breath-centered sanctuary for reflection. Together, these zones form a travelling, adaptable environment capable of evolving with local contexts and global conversations.
A short film was created as a way to express the conceptual development behind the projec. The film was developed independently, drawing from extensive research and creative direction. Architectural collaborators contributed a series of speculative diagrams that helped visualise the environmental systems and spatial flows underpinning the proposal.
Cosmo Davis-Gimeno - Videograpger, DOP
Akanksha Vasishtha - Narrative Director, 3D Visualiser
Christopher Gerhardt - Project Coordinator
1. Beauty pop-up concept