From the moment Dover Street Market’s doors first swung open back in 2004, Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe’s wildly imaginative concept store began redefining what a luxury shopping experience could be. Gone were the muted walls, polished marble floors, and snooty store staff: in their place, the space was filled with mismatched furniture, brightly painted garden sheds housing cash registers, specially commissioned installations by rising artists and designers, and a lot of brilliant things to buy (duh!).
Now, though it’s pretty hard to believe a decade and a half has passed since DSM first landed in London, the store is celebrating its 15th birthday, with a whole lot of limited edition collaborative merch set to hit both its digital and physical shelves over the course of the weekend.
As part of MONOCHROMARKET, Dover Street family, friends, and frequent collaborators join forces on a series of special anniversary pieces in a totally black and white palette (just in case the project’s name didn’t give it away). As well as this, DSM’s Black Market Comme des Garçons opens for the first time outside of Tokyo, while the outside of the store has been reimagined through original artwork by Russian artist Pokras Lampas.
On the line-up when it comes to the collabs are items from the likes of Rick Owens, Marine Serre, Craig Green, Palace, and Nike. Standout pieces include CDG x Gucci sneakers and tote bags, logo-emblazoned Burberry trench coats, uber-luxe Bottega Veneta clutches, and a bunch of commemorative tees from Bianca Chandon, Brain Dead, and IDEA Books.
On the slightly more unusual end of the scale, as part of the Black Market offering, Comme des Garçons teams up with Kuwahara to create a blacked-out BMX and Zana Baynes contributes a studded body harness ideal for the discerning leather daddy in your life, while G-SHOCK’s limited edition watch rounds things off in a more traditional way – with a timepiece or clock historically given to commemorate 15 years of marriage. Happy 15th Birthday, Dover Street Market – here’s to 15 more!
Take a look at some of our fave MONOCHROMATIC pieces in the gallery above, and shop the full edit here or in-store.
