Dover Street Market confirms Paris opening date

Multi-brand retailer Dover Street Market (DSM), founded by Rei Kawakubo of Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons and her husband Adrian Joffe, has confirmed its new location in Paris will open on May 24.

The 11,840 square foot store will be located at 35-37, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, occupying the ground and first floors, plus one of the three basements in the Hôtel de Coulanges, built between 1627 and 1634 and lived in by Madame de Sevigné, an icon of French 17th-century literature.

The other two basements and the courtyard will serve as spaces to entertain art, literary, music and community events, added the retailer.

In addition, DSM said it also plans to invite artists to “invade the store itself with exhibitions and points of view, all in the spirit of creation of the now defunct Association 3537 that occupied the building for the previous three years”.

The second, third and fourth floors will continue to house the DSMP Brand Development division.

The store has been designed by Rei Kawakubo, including the café Rose Bakery, and aims to offer consumers a “voyage of discovery” as no clothes will be visible from the outside and there will be no dedicated brand spaces or concessions.

First look at the new Dover Street Market Paris

On the design, Kawakubo said in a statement: “Next DSM is ‘New Chaos. The space asserts itself. The space is the statement. 20 years ago, we made a new way of being for a shop with the first DSM. Each designer brand space made their statement. Various spaces mixed together creating chaos. We ignored the themes of age, gender, lifestyle. Even now DSM style is strong and there is nothing else like it.

“Now, DSMP takes on new challenges. Each space makes a statement. It’s like a recital contest within each space. Each booth exists as a general space, but each of them makes their claim, asserts their difference. DSMP brings each brand, each designer to each space.

“I made this kind of concept within the existing building, and made it feel new. No clothes are visible from the outside; clothes don’t beckon you nor curry favour. The fixtures and furniture emphasise the products, and the purpose of space is not just to sell. It’s to make a comfortable space. It’s the same way of thinking as all the CDG shops all over the world.”

For the May 24 opening, there will be an installation and an exhibition entitled ‘Comme des Garcons for and by Paolo Roversi’ and an installation created by Matty Bovan.

The store will house brands including Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe, JW Anderson, Rick Owens, Prada, Miu Miu, Martine Rose, Willy Chavaria, Jacquemus, Craig Green, Charles Jeffrey, and Wales Bonner. It will also have several exclusive ‘in France’ brands such as All-In, Hodakova, Marina Yee, Paul Harnden, Elena Dawson, Melitta Baumeister, Johanna Parv, Chopova Lowena, Torisheju, Duran Lantink, Denim Tears, Independantes de Coeur, and Ponte.

Dover Street Market was founded in 2004 in London and has concept stores in Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore and China.