Dover Street Market, the multi-level concept store created by Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons and a firm style favourite in London’s exclusive Mayfair area, is set to find a new home in none other than the original Burberry building on Piccadilly’s Haymarket.
In an intriguing move that sees the fashion haven’s sudden relocation to new headquarters following its 10 year celebrations of being on the London scene, Dover Street Market is looking to occupy a space synonymous with grandeur and luxury, namely a building that has been the home of Burberry since 1911, built by architect Walter Cave. But since this brand left the space in 2007, the spectacular and iconic London building, part of Lord Alan Sugar’s property portfolio, has been awaiting new fashion tenants. And Dover Street Market certainly won’t disappoint.
So where does this leave Dover Street’s other infamous luxury residents? The area has long since been known to attract a fashion-forward crowd that relied on this small cluster of exclusive brands. Victoria Beckham, in fact, was the latest one to open shop in the area in September of this year. But now Dover Street Market, the epicentre of it all yet often known for its moves and openings in unexpected neighbourhoods, is looking to shake up the London scene.
Adrian Joffe, the store’s retail manager who works closely with Rei Kawakubo herself, has been lauded with creating Dover Street Market as a space that is not only visually vibrant and unconventional, but that also captures the perfect housing for the eclectic brands that have made Dover Street Market such a fashion fixture. “We want to make DSM stronger and stronger and more and more exciting, not only as a retail experience but also as a place for conversation, the sharing of ideas—where accidental synergies can arise, where people can interact openly and see the possibilities of being different. We want to be a store that can directly and indirectly give courage to young designers and luxury brands alike to pursue the path of creation and freedom, and encourage individual anti-corporate expression,” he explains. It’s certainly an exciting time for one of London’s best loved retail concepts and this move to a new home will undoubtedly mark an exciting era in its progression and development.
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