Aesop’s Queer Library Is Back For Pride 2026

How are you celebrating Pride this year? Once again, Australian luxury cosmetics brand Aesop is swapping beauty products for books with the return of its Queer Library for the sixth year running. From 3 to 5 July 2026, the Soho store will be fit to burst with literary explorations and representations of LGBTQ+ culture, alongside a queer reading room in Spitalfields before it heads down to Brighton (31 July–2 August).

Here’s everything you need to know.

How To Visit Aesop’s Queer Library In 2026

Queer storytelling is transformative, and this is the foundational belief underpinning Aesop’s popular annual Queer Library, clearing Aesop Soho’s shelves and filling them with a selection of books written by and about queer people.

This year, the theme is ‘Body of Work’, highlighting the longstanding presence and value of queer voices in the UK, including charitable bodies like the national LGBTQIA+ support line, Switchboard. Founded in 1974, this volunteer-led helpline has supported 4 million people to date.

(© Casey Ng)

The Library’s featured title this year is The Log Books by Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, which brings a selection of the lives Switchboard has impacted to the page. The result is a touching and intimate exploration of intergenerational queer heritage, charting four decades of LGBTQIA+ life in Britain.

For three days, visitors are invited to visit Aesop Soho and pick up their own copy complimentary of The Log Books or another title from the curated list of 33 books by LGBTQIA+ authors, guided by the Aesop team, no purchase necessary. Authors on the list include Kae Tempest, Lee Lai, Jason Okundaye, Brandon Taylor and Yrsa Daley-Ward.

Across the city, Aesop Spitalfields will concurrently be home to a dedicated queer Reading Room (3–5 July), hosted by K Bailey Obazee, founder of queer Black book club PRIM.BLACK. The Reading Room will then head to Aesop Brighton (31 July–2 August), allowing queer joy to extend out of London and into the UK’s queer capital. Expect a designated space with a smaller selection of titles from the London list, with visitors once again invited to select a book from the shelves to keep, free of charge.

(© Casey Ng)

The Details

• What? A library of LGBTQ+ books, inviting visitors to select a title and take it home, free of charge, in celebration of Pride Month.
• Where? Aesop Soho (41 Lexington St, Carnaby, London W1F 9AJ), Aesop Spitalfields (75-77 Brushfield St, London E1 6AA) and Aesop Brighton (104-105 Gloucester Rd, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN1 4AP).
• When? 3 to 5 July 2026 in London; 31 July–2 August 2026 in Brighton.
• How? Visit in store.
• Find Out More: aesop.com