IADS Exclusive - Dover Street Market Paris: the rebirth of independent fashion?

After years of speculation, Dover Street Market, the renowned fashion concept store founded by Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons and husband Adrian Joffe, finally opened a new location in Paris. Located in the Marais area, the new store is the 7th location to open over the last 20 years after Tokyo, London, Beijing, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore (not to mention Dover Street Market Parfums opened in Paris in October 2019). Kawakubo and Joffe After took over the building in 2019, but soon after, they decided to wait until the pandemic was over and tourism normalised to open the store. From 2021 to 2023, the gorgeous 17th-century Hôtel de Coulanges (once the house of French writer Madame de Sevigné) temporarily housed a non-profit cultural hub (“le 35-37”, after the street number the building is located at) hosting art exhibitions, fashion shows, temporary fashion markets and art performances. All these events supported the anticipation and excitement around the space opening and secured a break on taxes and rent. After this long delay, the much-anticipated store finally opened to consumers on Friday, 24 May 2024. What can one expect from this latest Dover Street Market family addition? Paris is seen as the fashion capital, but will the store succeed in the long run? 

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