PR Stunt Watch: Nosey Aēsop, Matières Fécales eats the rich, and Holland & Barrett say it loud

It’s October, but it’s hot.

I’m decorating my house with skeletons (any excuse), but my iced coffees are still in play.

This seasonal, sensory confusion perfectly suits today’s PR Stunt Watch roundup: detached noses, covered eyes, and unheard mouths—a sensory smorgasbord for your visual pleasure. 

Aēsop's Fragrant Fables Library

I’m including this story, even though it wasn’t actually very easy to get visuals or information on… but, I love Aēsop’s elegant nose sculptures, a refreshed version of its 2014 campaign, which allowed visitors to get a free nose plaster cast to celebrate its returning Eau de Parfum line.

There was also an activation, an "aromatic odyssey" of sorts. Was it an exhibition... or a library... or perhaps, both? Regardless, it was hosted in the flagship Regent Street store, which I want to write more words on, but honestly don’t think I understand.

Sounds chic though, doesn’t it?

The stunt is a beautiful way to bring an olfactory experience to life. It was slightly too under-the-radar, though… I feel this could have been bigger.

The 99% showing power to the 1% at Matières Fécales

Now THIS is the kind of One Show I can get behind.

Matières Fécales, a high-end avant-garde fashion house, staged a critique of the world’s wealthiest 1%, to their faces, at Place de la République during Paris Fashion Week – a key moment and place for some good old-fashioned rebellion.

They platformed the working class, immigrants, and marginalised communities via their 99 models (many having never walked a show before), who wore 99 looks. They concluded with the models carrying dead-weight effigies of the 1%, visualised as besuited, wealthy, white men, slung over their shoulders like rare mink, and unsettlingly blindfolded with $1 notes.

Beautiful.

Nothing is black and white, and this show, and the founders, are far from perfect. But the public watched for free (alongside some friendly elite…), and even better, a percentage of the proceeds from the collection goes to La Maison d'Allanah, a French non-profit that provides housing and support for LGBTQIA+ refugees.

At the end of the day, it’s a business. It makes a profit, but also actually puts some of the money where its mouth is. I like it.

Holland & Barrett x The Academy

Finally, Holland & Barrett launched SpeakHER, a giant megaphone installation broadcasting real stories from women with non-acute health symptoms that many feel go unheard.

The installation was activated following the release of findings revealed by the brand's State of the Nation’s Health 2026 report, which won’t surprise any woman approaching "a certain age". These are my words, but according to AI, "a certain age" is 40 to 60. I'm within that bracket, so I can say it.

The research reveals that women feel dismissed when reaching out for advice about these non-acute symptoms, including low energy and sleep disruption, with the cause assumed to be stress or "a busy lifestyle". GPs are already overwhelmed by demand, so Holland & Barrett came up with a solution: 600 women’s health coaches, offering free 15-minute health checks.

Feels like a win-win.

Article written by Amy Jones, executive creative director at Clarion, and first published by PRmoment.com.