“High fashion in a store reminiscent of a street market,” is how Rei Kawakubo first envisaged it. On September 10, 2004, the Comme des Garçons founder and her husband Adrian Joffe opened the first Dover Street Market (DSM) in London. Twenty-one years later, DSM has become a global organism, with outposts in Tokyo, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore and Beijing, each bearing the same spirit of “beautiful chaos” that informed its beginnings.
Tonight, that chaos will be momentarily corralled onstage at The Fashion Awards, presented by Pandora, in London. Kawakubo, Joffe and Dickon Bowden — who joined in 2004 as general manager of the first store and is now Vice President of the global enterprise — will jointly receive the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator. In a period when much of the multi-brand retail landscape has contracted, DSM has been sustained by a core approach of running counter to the orthodoxies of its own industry.
In advance of the event, Vogue Business contacted four of DSM’s key architects to discuss the philosophy, process and discipline behind global retail’s most unruly exponent. Kawakubo was not in the chat. However, along with Adrian Joffe and Dickon Bowden, the conversation included Yo Arakida, general manager of Dover Street Market Japan, and Remo Hallauer, COO of Comme des Garçons (CDG) International. The discussion, conducted over email, has been edited for brevity.
Vogue: Tonight’s Isabella Blow Award recognizes the creative forces that shape fashion’s cultural landscape. What does this award say about what DSM is today?
Adrian: It says about DSM today what we hope DSM has always been: a creative force among the many creative forces out there believing in creation as a means to progress.
Dickon: That today and hopefully for the last 20 or so years, DSM has played an important role in providing a platform for designers, artists and creatives both in London and around the world. A platform beyond the normal bounds of convention. A place where the value of creation sits front and center.
Vogue: In 2024, Adrian told Vogue Business: “Bricks and mortar has always been crucial to us. Rei has always said that. For her, online is the anathema. Because when she designs, she imagines that end point — when the customer comes into the store, feels the fabric, tries on the clothes. This is part of the beginning of her creating.” How does that belief continue to guide what DSM is doing now, especially at a time when so much of the retail landscape is contracting?
Adrian: I think more than ever the in-live experience is very important. It’s very obvious that sitting at home, buying an algorithm-incited item is not as much fun as bumping into an old friend or discovering something you never thought existed at a DSM, or any other store.
Dickon: This belief sits at the very heart of what we do each and every day. We are a physical business first and foremost, and the whole business stands in support of the interactions between our clients and the DSM teams in our stores: the seeing, feeling, connecting and experiencing of Dover Street Market in its entirety.
Remo: Today’s times are particularly challenging, but also particularly interesting. On the one hand, the rapid rise of technology, new media and AI is changing the world and people’s lives, simplifying many tasks that used to be complex. On the other hand, more and more people are turning back to physical media such as print, vinyl and CDs, whose sales are growing again against all odds, as consumers are, for example, looking for pre-AI music again to make sure it’s genuine recordings. I find this current tension quite fascinating and guess that we can kind of see it as an analogy to what’s happening in retail, which gives me hope.
Yo: In Japan’s market, there are still lots of physical stores, including small, selected stores that members of the younger generation have opened recently. I always think online business is just an extension of physical stores, and I don’t think there is anything better than the interiors, smells and tension that customers feel every time they visit DSM stores.
Vogue: DSM is often described as a place that works in a fundamentally different way from conventional retail. What is most important and useful about doing things differently rather than following established retail logic?
Adrian: It’s not so much as doing things differently for the sake of it, it’s more like realizing that invention, creation, discovery, wisdom simply cannot be born from any status quo, let alone established retail logic. Only through curiosity and exploration and doing away with preconceptions can progress be achieved. Nothing ever revolutionarily mind-blowing came out of following established anything.
Dickon: We often talk about balancing creativity and commerciality, and the virtue of not being bound by convention nor orthodox thinking. And while we are a business, of course, one thing that I have learnt in the 21 years of Dover Street is the importance of creation thanks to Kawakubo-san and her approach: something deeper than pure commerce, something with spirit and authenticity, something with a soul.
Remo: I guess that we have kind of created our own rules and logic? While our seasonal changeover — when we close our stores for a few days to install the new season’s merchandise, called tachiagari — does not follow conventional logic, it has become an incredibly useful way for us to create excitement at the beginning of the season around our collections. It’s important to keep questioning what we do and not become comfortable with the status quo.
Yo: Surrounding Comme des Garçons brands, which are our heart, we always create unexpected zoning on each floor and each DSM shop. I think most important thing is to feel pleasant discomfort.
Vogue: DSM is shaped by multiple voices rather than a single author. How do each of you understand your own role within this collaborative structure, and what makes that shared approach function effectively instead of becoming chaotic?
Adrian: We just wing it really and go with the chaos.
Dickon: It is about giving space and giving freedom to the people that we work with: our trust and our belief in what they do. Sometimes, it is harmonious and serendipitous; other times, there is collision and chaos. All of this is OK as far as we are concerned — DSM is about ‘beautiful chaos’ ultimately.
Remo: One beautiful thing about our company is that we have very loyal staff — all of us here have worked together for many years, and I feel that our way of working together has evolved quite organically. We have quite complementary skill sets and rely on each other’s respective strengths and weaknesses. That said, at the end of the day, when chaos reigns, Kawakubo-san and Adrian decide anyways.
Yo: Under the big umbrella of Comme des Garçons, I’ve been learning a lot every day at both CDG and DSM… We strive to bring things as close as possible to the company’s vision. For example, even proposals from other brands are adapted to align with our sensibilities, adding our spices.
Vogue: Kawakubo’s conceptual language sits at the heart of DSM, yet each store has its own character and rhythm. How do you translate and interpret her ideas within the context of your own location?
Adrian: We’ve always tried to find that balance between centralization and decentralization, keeping well instilled within each place a strong sense of our shared identity and values while encouraging local character and individual leadership.
Dickon: It takes a little time for each DSM to establish its roots, and to connect with the local community in each location. London was, of course, the first store that we opened back in 2004, and working with Kawakubo-san and Adrian and the subsequent transformation and journey after the opening was something very special and very humbling. What mattered most to Kawakubo was the creation of something special. Something new. And this was the same for everyone involved in the project, which included the likes of Alber Elbaz, Azzedine Alaia and Carla Sozzani, Raf Simons, Hedi Slimane, Ronnie Newhouse and Judy Blame. There was a powerful and intoxicating sense of flow. A sense of like-mindedness. Capital and operating expenditure weren’t the very start of the conversation, which is sadly often the case today. Creation was first and foremost, with a sense of daring and freedom of expression in following Kawakubo’s vision.
Remo: Paris is quite different from the other DSM’s in that all the furniture was designed by Kawakubo, and there are no spaces by other brands — similar to a Comme des Garçons store. She also designs and validates all installations in the courtyard, which play an important role in the perception of the store.
Yo: We have both Kawakubo and Adrian in the company, and lots of knowledge from DSM London’s experiences. I interpret their precious advice and guidelines and just keep working steadily. It is always challenging to translate their ideas, but there are always different processes to reach the goal and I’m still discovering lots of new things.
Vogue: DSM continues to support emerging designers even as the wider multi-brand ecosystem has contracted. What guides your thinking when deciding which designers or creators to champion or partner with?
Adrian: It is all quite random, there are no overriding rules or formulas. We need to leave a lot to chance and instinct. These things cannot be preordained. There is no guarantee of success. There are often impossible decisions to make and always risks to take. Hard work, a strong vision and a good story are some key things we keep an eye out for.
Remo: I would say that we just invest in brands and people that have an interesting point of view that aligns with our values.
Yo: At our global meetings in Paris, we decide which brands to carry and which brands to pause. We consider whether a brand shares our values, or takes a completely different approach. Some brands are exclusive to Japan, while others are sometimes launched in Japan before expanding to other countries.
Dickon: Ultimately, that they have something interesting or different to say.
Vogue: DSM stores often evolve into cultural hubs as much as retail spaces. How does your location engage with its local creative community, and how does this shape DSM as a whole?
Adrian: Through engagement, openness, inclusiveness, curiosity, checking in, being awake.
Remo: In Paris, we have an event space as well as the courtyard and the store, so the cultural part plays an important role. Every DSM supports the local community, but it is also nice to see that these communities can cross over from one country or continent to another for events and collaborations.
Dickon: We are constantly seeking opportunities to bring people together. There is no formality to this process; instead, this is something that happens each and every day in the work that we do. And, of course, we share with one another across the world, working together. This is when we are best — when we come together while at the same time celebrating our differences.
Vogue: DSM’s physical spaces are part of its creative proposition. How do you approach retail space as a creative medium?
Remo: The building is the most important starting point — it might sound corny, but I do believe that buildings have a soul. If you find the right space and create an interesting proposition from from an architectural point of view, you can create something special that will entice customers.
Yo: We are not making any special efforts to use the retail space as a creative medium. We are just building a store based on our rules.
Dickon: By giving freedom to the people that we work with, allowing them to express themselves in a new and uninhibited way, not bound by the norms of convention.
Vogue: Beyond their spending behaviors, do customers play any role in shaping your decisions at DSM? What do your customers teach you, and how do you apply what you learn?
Adrian: Listening and sharing plays a major role in our development. We are not into one-way streets. That’s the key to a flourishing community.
Dickon: Of course. We are always listening and talking with our clients. We are always open-minded and ready to learn.
Remo: Customers play a huge role at DSM — it is very important to never ever underestimate your customer. We can learn from them as much as they can learn from us. I am often amazed at how much knowledge people have about the clothes of Comme des Garçons and the designers we carry. It is crucial to engage in authentic conversations, for us to get to know our clients and for them to get to know our company, our staff and what we offer with the aim of creating a long-term relationship.
Yo: Of course, there are invisible effects, but the results show up in the numbers. Sometimes, when we lean too heavily on artistic expression, it may not directly resonate with our customers; other times, an artistic approach can effectively convey our message to them. Each time the result of the numbers is different, and customers’ reactions are also different.
Vogue: DSM’s environments change constantly. What does the process of refreshing or reimagining the space involve from your point of view?
Remo: Staying curious and not standing still.
Yo: There is no correct answer to this task, nor is there an appropriate one. We always need to be unexpected.
Vogue: Without asking you to look back nostalgically, what would you identify as one action, decision or moment created by DSM, at any point, that for you best illustrates the uniqueness of the concern? And what makes that example feel particularly relevant now?
Adrian: Too many moments of despair and joy to mention. All just stations of growth along the journey. All mere fragments in the woven whole.
Remo: Every store opening or major milestone involved staff from around the world coming together and working hand in hand to get things done in time. This mutual support is great to experience, and we do our best to keep our values strong and present as the company grows.
Dickon: People often ask, and quite simply, DSM is at its very best and most magical when we all come together. There have been multiple store openings when all the teams from across the world join together in the preceding days to ‘make shop’, and stand together at the end of the first day to share in celebrating the creation of our beautiful store. There are also times throughout the year when we close for a few days for our biannual seasonal changeover, and reopen with all of the new spaces and new collections. This is certainly a very important tradition for DSM and CDG, and something that every single member of the team helps with.
Perhaps, the most poignant and certainly most moving time was during the height of Covid when the store was completely closed. Despite the fact not one client would see the store in-person, we chose nonetheless to carry on regardless and transformed the entire store over the course of a few days as if we were open. We believed in the value and the importance of this tradition that transcended circumstance, which is rooted in our values and our beliefs... The entire company joined remotely as a few of us undertook a virtual walkthrough of the store. I often talk about DSM being the sum of all of us, and this was certainly the truth on that day.
Vogue: How do you imagine DSM evolving as fashion, culture and retail continue to shift? Which aspects of DSM’s identity feel essential, and which areas feel open to radical change?
Adrian: We have to be constantly open to change everything, question everything, in the clear knowledge that, in any case, everything is constantly changing irrespective of our wish for it. Might as well attempt to be ahead and have a say in its form and content.
Remo: To me, it seems that the worlds of fashion, art and music are intertwined more than ever— and I find it quite exciting to see how we can work closer with peers from other industries to create genuine products and events that will help us broaden our reach but also speak to our existing audience.
Yo: I think it’s essential to be more free with a strong will that does not belong anywhere.
Dickon: To embrace the challenge and to celebrate change, while remaining resolute and trusting in the spirit and the values of Comme des Garçons and Rei Kawakubo, which act both as our foundations and also our compass as we look to the future.
Vogue: What are the questions or challenges you find yourselves thinking about most as you look toward DSM’s next phase?
Dickon: How to be better. How to positively challenge ourselves and the people that we work with, especially considering the current state of paralysis within the industry right now.
Adrian: Self-renewal is a tough one. Just keep aiming to do what we do but better.
