What we admire about Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe –
Dover Street Market: a tale of requited love
Eight years ago, I wrote a piece on Dover Street Market – A tale of unrequited love. It talked to my near 40-year obsession with three brands: YOHJI YAMAMOTO, Issey Miyake and Comme des Garçons. And, in particular, it talked to my profound (and temporary) disappointment with DSM.
It had recently moved from Dover St to Haymarket, and had become, heaven forfend, popular – most worryingly, with my then 16-year-old son and his friends. Over the years, I returned to devotion and forgiveness. My love is requited.
DSM is peerless.
It demonstrates why the very best retail experiences always lead with ideas, drama, intrigue and rarity; it fuses cultural adventure with brand discovery. It is majestic in its architecture, and never underestimates the intelligence of the visitor – young, or not so young.
All those decades ago, I made pilgrimages to Paris to find Comme des Garcons hidden away in a courtyard. Very soon, I will be making the pilgrimage to Paris once again. DSM is now open in Rue des Francs-Bourgeois – I can’t wait.
But, in the meantime, Luke Leitch at Vogue Business captured the no rules anarchic energy of “curated collectivism” in an interview with Adrian Joffe – well worth a read.
Long live DSM. Long live the helix.
Written by Dilys Maltby
April 2024
Header image: Dover Street Market Paris
