10 Reasons Why Dover Street Market Is the Best Fashion Boutique on Earth

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Dover Street Market is not only a master at producing fashion collaborations, but also at curating a selection of noteworthy brands that are worth collaborating with. From the rising skate brand Palace to the titans of sportswear Nike, Dover Street is not only collaborating with the right partners, but making the right products with these opportunities. DSM always infuses itself into every collection it works on, no matter who it aligns with.

In honor of the London shop's 10th anniversary, everyone from Undercover to Sacai is paying homage to the DSM history and taking part. And for an example of how the shop executes ever aspect of a collaboration perfectly, look no further than the recent Nike Tennis Classic collab done with Dover Street Market London. Aside from being very difficult to get obtain, it did a few things to make it a must-have the moment it dropped: The project revived a classic shoe from the sportswear giant. The timing was impeccably timed to release it at the right time during U.S. Open hype, and the design was kept simple, with the subtleties doing all the talking. Sometimes the most obvious details take the most thought. DSM just makes it look easy.

If you've ever traversed through a Dover Street Market location, you feel like you're walking in a living work of art that involves wonders both sartorial and visual. Besides its own interior work, DSM involves some of the most progressive artists out there to continuously transform its spaces. Street artist Magda Sayeg, who “knit bombs” public spaces, has added her touch to the columns and corridors throughout DSM NY. Architect Madeline Gins of Arakawa and Gins has installed what's called the “Biotopological Scale-Juggling Escalator, ” which is essentially a stair set corridor with a collage of abstract design elements.

When it comes to the showroom floors, designers are encouraged to set up their clothes and bring in their own furniture, which in some cases is crafted by the designer themselves. The result is that each brand's space is transformed into something of a personalized “living room” where you walk from one designer to the next, soaking in their work the way it was meant to be experienced.

Visitors come to Dover Street Market for the clothes, but they almost always stay for the food. The fact that every DSM has an offshoot of the Paris-based Rose Bakery is a sweet surprise to the art gallery-meets-design showroom that is Dover Street Market. With the store's already sterling style reputation, it comes as no shock that the café needs to be just as on point. Each Rose Bakery is both intimate and inviting, with one being tucked away in each DSM location. The baked goods have become so popular that the DSM London store even warns customers to place an order before 4 p.m. When you bless yourself with a visit to DSM, it's worth a moment to make a pit stop on your way in, or out, of the store.

Do you know of anywhere else that you can get Supreme and visvim on one level, and Jil Sander, Raf Simons, and KTZ on the next? Every Dover Street Market location has a brand roster that's unique to each location, but each shop will convince you to forgo other expenses and necessities to get on DSM's level.

No matter which DSM you walk into, once you walk in, there's essentially no reason to leave, because whether you want streetwear, sneakers, or straight off the runway collections, DSM has a massive variety sprinkled throughout its several floors. Beyond creating a one-stop-shop for stylish guys, mixing up what used to be thought of as disparate labels has allowed shoppers around the world to realize that the constructed walls between names like, say, Prada and Supreme can be broken down, creating something new and dynamic in the process.

Starting in London (which is where the shop gets its name), spreading to Kawakubo's native Tokyo, and most recently moving to NYC, Dover Street Market does not only expand to different cities, but adapts to each one. While Kawakubo maintains the intent to bring new material no matter where her shop sets down its roots, she also designs each store with that city's inhabitants in mind.

For example, the Rose Bakery in Tokyo accommodates the city's love of carrot cake. Each store carries a varying roster of designers, as well as a well stocked Comme des Garçons section of course, and each store hosts particular pop-ups, floor exhibits, and even whole collections that are specific to its home city. Even if you're familiar with one DSM location, heading to a different one can result in a an entirely new experience.

Just in case you're a primitive human being who doesn't have a religious experience every time you enter a Dover Street Market shop, each location has pop-up shops that constantly refresh and evolve the DSM experience. The latest super-exciting pop-up is taking place in Dover Street Market London, where a large space is being given over to the entirety of Nicolas Ghesquiére's first Louis Vuitton womenswear collection.

Between DSM Ginza, London, and New York, the continuous stream of pop-ups with a wide spectrum of brands only adds another layer to the artistic presentation that is each store itself. For example, Idea Books, which sells rare and exclusive art books in its own section in DSM London, has just picked up a temporary stint stocking archival Comme des Garçons publications in the DSM New York location. When it comes to the pop-ups, expect something more akin to an artist residency than a few more racks with the designer's name on them.

Dover Street Market is definitely a place to get your hands on marquee names like Saint Laurent and Prada, but it's also a great venue to learn about and cop little-known and emerging designers who are otherwise pretty hard to find. Dover Street Market New York has a "DSM Showroom," which is the home of emerging brands and maintains a residency on the shop's fourth floor. Dover Street Market Ginza has a "Young Japanese Brands" section, which stocks brands like Facetasm, Julian David, and others. While it's a huge financial step to score such a big account, perhaps the biggest measure of success for these young designers is the fact that Rei Kawakubo recognizes their talent and skills.

With almost every boutique invoking some type of dress code, which may include wearing the particular designer's clothing exclusively or restricting clothing to business casual, Dover Street Market lets the staff wear whatever they want. Seriously. The staff are usually creatives in their own right, and the store encourages them to wear their personal style on their sleeves (literally) while running the sales floors in each DSM.

While old-school conventions would lead you to believe that such sartorial openness would distract from the shopping experience, it is something that many find enriching and liberating to the already unconventional DSM adventure. One thing that is maintained as a constant in each DMS location is the commitment to customer service. Considering the store's Japanese roots, where shop staff treat the customer above all else in a way uncommon for most stores stateside, the DSM staff at every location are known to be as courteous as they are diverse—with staffers hailing anywhere from South Korea to Scotland. They may not look like a stuffy Fifth Avenue shop staff, but honestly, that's a good thing.

Dover Street Market stores are hosts to a massive selection of designer goods, but they also are the home to a rotation selection of exclusive pieces. From Italian fashion house Prada to Calvin Klein, each Dover Street Market shop doesn't just collaborate, they provide limited quantity product that is only found in your local DSM. In fact, to celebrate its 10th anniversary, Dover Street Market London will stock one off exclusive products from the likes of Rick Owens, Bianca Chandon, Craig Green, Sacai, and so, so many others. Not only does each DSM put together a collection of products that knocks you into a spending spree, but a lot of the times it's the only place where you can cop what you're going nuts over.

The true architect behind Dover Street Market in all its incarnations, DSM would not exist without Rei Kawakubo's vision and guiding hand. Notorious for constantly modifying and editing until the final hours (and even after the fact), Kawakubo's perspective is one that's not only respected, but pioneering.

Since the creation of her brand Comme des Garçons in '69, Kawakubo has risen to prominence not only in the Tokyo fashion scene, but worldwide. Major names in the contemporary fashion scene, including Junya Watanabe, have studied under or been affected by Kawakubo's influence. In terms of Dover Street, if Kawakubo is unimpressed with the concept, the work, or anything else, it doesn't make the cut—it's that simple. As husband and CEO of Comme des Garçons Adrian Joffe joked, she'll move the elevator right before store's opening if that's what's best for the overall presentation. It's Kawakubo's central theme of “beautiful chaos” that drives the store; an ideology that maintains her ability to continue to innovate and grow the store in both reach and reputation.