The approximately 3200 sq m store is located in a 17th century townhouse at 35-37 Rue des Francs-Bourgeois. As with the other locations, this location in the popular Marais district of Paris will also serve as a lively center for exchange and collaboration for experimental fashion. In addition to the collection of DSM founder Rei Kawakubo, mastermind of Comme des Garçons, around fifteen up-and-coming brands will be presented, including brands as Airei, Erl, Honey F -king Dijon, Liberal Youth Ministry, Olly Shinder and Phileo. Not only young fashion designers will be on offer, but also established luxury labels. The special thing about this concept is the way of presentation: clothes are presented like (art) objects and not like goods. The fashion is part of an overall creative concept.
Dover Street Market is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comme des Garçons.
Around 1999, Comme des Garçons was the first fashion brand to have a store designed by architects to match the collection. This idea found many imitators, e.g. Prada or Louis Vuitton, which prompted Rei Kawakubo to abandon this concept. The next idea was to open “guerrilla stores” from 2004, i.e. temporary, usually spartanly furnished stores. These were often only available for a short time and in unconventional locations. The first was opened in the former Bertolt Brecht bookshop in Berlin. Other locations were in Barcelona, Warsaw, Singapore, Hong Kong, Reykjavík, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Glasgow, Cologne, Basel, Athens, Krakow, Los Angeles, The Hague and Beirut – all for a short time, for a maximum of one year.
The creative concept, including the unique product presentation, should be emphasized in this concept. The boundaries between fashion, architecture and art are blurred. The Dover Street Market team also sees itself as a support for product development, production and brand development.
