The Next Ten Years

When I spoke to Adrian Joffe about Dover Street Market’s celebration of Nicolas Ghesquière’s first collection for Louis Vuitton, I asked him about whether he and Rei Kawakubo ever disagreed about anything concerning DSM, since the all-seeing she oversees everything, he said “It happens often.  But great things often come out of conflict and struggle.”

Dover Street Market London has officially gone into ten year birthday mode and a month of celebration, special events, products, installations and of course new spaces within the ever-changing wonder store has already started revving up.  Their extensive link-to-link microsite is a bit of a maze to navigate, much like the store itself but embedded in amongst the hyperlinks is a piece of text that expands on what Joffe said about the idea of greatness coming out of conflict – in other words, a Beautiful Chaos…

“The next ten years of beautiful chaos  is always that… undefined, then redefine the way of doing business… revaluing popular beliefs, breaking down taboos, reversing negativity, throwing out conventional wisdom, and renewing always… we need the value beyond fashion, deeper digging.”

The beautiful chaos begins with this simultaneously in yer-face and deceptive facade that currently covers Dover Street Market London.  It’s a scaffolding sculpture covered with little pieces of text that Joffe penned when thinking about what DSM stands for and what the Next Ten Years holds as Joffe and co always looks forward and never looks back.  There are also quotes by Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt and Thomas Frey dotted about this installation.  It’s worth going down there to look at it from all angles – from across the road, from within the store and right by the main windows (currently taken over by Louis Vuitton’s AW14 collection but will be followed up by young designer Phoebe English – that’s the type of sharp contrast that is nurtured at DSM).

Just as people scratched their heads back in 2004 wondering whether Dover Street Market was in fact a “market” (it still confuses my parents every time I mention DSM – “But why call it market when it’s not a market?” they ask), and so it is that for their 10 year birthday, the store plays with the idea of a traditional market stall as little stands are dotted throughout the floors, selling affordable £20 priced merch like DSM printed vintage t-shirts, cardboard stools, tote bags and lunch boxes, as well as checkerboard products with long time “casuals” collaborators like Eastpak, Vans, New Era and Fred Perry.  For a new generation of customers that might be intimidated by Dover Street Market’s high end offerings, this is a nice way of offering something to take away from the store.  “Hopefully they might one day become Dover Street Market customers,” remarked Joffe, who was just on his way out to Paris as I came in to take these pictures.

The special designer items hitting DSM are also the highlights of this birthday celebration with tie dye tees from Craig Green, a special dress by Sacai sitting in their new illuminated brick space on the 3rd floor, a beaded crown by Phoebe English and two pairs of mirrored shoes with perspex heels by Simone Rocha (you can smell her specially installed eucalyptus foliage arrangement before you’re blinded by all that silver).  I succumbed and went for the slip-ons to feed my fetish for silver shoes.  Friends of DSM like Gary Card have also come in to leave DSM a birthday pressie in the shape of clay goulish figures wearing illustrated t-shirts made especially for the store.

As per every season, the spaces at DSM have all been given a new lease of life – re-arranged and reconfigured for the new season.  I love Michael Costiff’s new World Archive area and the hanging structures in J.W. Anderson’s corner.  Also love that Walter van Beirendonck gets his own little section now.  New shops have also been introduced entirely such as Good Design Store down in the basement.  I’m a fan of the one in the Gyre building in Tokyo and it’s a good place to get a utilitarian homewares fix as well as oddities like the granny crochet Comme des Garcons blankets.

The fitting rooms on the floors have also been completely redone, each with a unique identity and sensibility.  On the first floor, yellow-ended fronds flay out of a wooden box, created by Studio Astuguevieille, Paris.

Rei Kawakubo and Peter Blake have done a collaborative collaged box for the 2nd floor where past collides with the future.

Most impressive of all is this spectacular polystyrene jigsaw installation by Milan-based SC Artroom.  The polystyrene pieces represent electronic items used in our day to day lives and collectively, the fitting room becomes a symbol of 21st century industrial living.  It’s a brilliant thing to see much less get changed in.  Go try some stuff on for the full immersive experience.