Inside Dover Street Market's Luxury Fashion and Streetwear Wonderland in DTLA

Photos: Danielle Directo-Meston/Uncover LA

It's a big day for Los Angeles' fashion scene — and especially for LA streetwear and avant-garde fashion followers. Legendary cult-favorite retailer Dover Street Market officially opened its doors last Saturday in DTLA's Arts District, a major move that's helping to cement the City of Angels' status as a legitimate fashion destination.

At both the private preview and public grand opening last week (did you follow along on our Instagram Stories?), limited edition items and "Welcome to LA" tee collabs from Nike x Cactus Plant Flea Market, No Vacancy Inn, Off-White, Paradis3, and Better Gift Shop quickly flew off shelves (there was even a raffle to score be the first to score the highly-anticipated exclusives), while shoppers enjoyed gifts with purchase like a blingy gold necklace and tote bags to commemorate DSM's LA debut.

 

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Designed by founder and Comme Des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo to reflect the concept of "beautiful chaos," the 19,500-square-foot space is located in a burgeoning area of Downtown where the Sixth Street Bridge once stood. A birds-eye view of DSMLA's floor plan reveals an oval pathway intersected by over 30 mind-blowing spaces, including the first-ever shop-in-shops in the world for global collective Brain Dead, Japanese label Doublet, LVMH Prize 2017 winner Marine Serre, and Germany-bred/New York-based designer Melitta Baumeister.

In addition to Comme des Garçon's family of women's and men's labels (including Black, CDG, Play, Shirt, and Homme Plus; the latter is displayed with a special headpiece installation by artist Shimoda Masakatsu) alongside fellow Japan-based brands like Sacai and Junya Watanabe, the store also houses European luxury staples and emerging designers (Balenciaga, Gucci, Jacquemus, Maison Margiela, Prada, Raf Simons, Simone Rocha, and Vetements) as well as a mix of wallet-friendly and high-end streetwear (like Better Gift Shop, Noah, Off-White Palace, Stüssy, and Undercover).

There's also fine jewelry from Chanel, makeup artist-turned-designer Lisa Eldridge, Hunrod, Sophie Buhai, and Suzanne Kalan; hats from milliner Stephen Jones; and cosmetics from Pat McGrath Labs' collaboration with The Met.

In a statement on DSMLA's website, Kawakubo explains that she wanted "to create a kind of market where various creators from various fields gather together and encounter each other in an ongoing atmosphere of beautiful chaos; the mixing up and coming together of different kindred souls who all share a strong personal vision."

Interior design touches include white subway tile, corrugated metal walls, chain link fences as displays, and fixtures made of lucite, to name just a few inventive details. The space is also punctuated by eye-popping sculptural chandeliers by artists Gary Card and Stuart Haygarth and art by Cindy Sherman, while Rose Bakery also has an outpost in the store. (The LA location is its first to have an outdoor area.)

Dover Street Market was co-founded by Kawakubo and her husband, Adrian Joffe, and the LA boutique is the designer retailer's first West Coast store and sixth location worldwide. It joins a global roster of shops in London (where it first opened in the Mayfair district in 2004 before relocating to Haymarket), New York, Tokyo, Beijing, and Singapore.

Explore more inside the massive fashion mecca and scroll through the gallery above; below, see the address and store hours.

Dover Street Market Los Angeles is open Monday through Saturday from 11am to 7pm and Sunday from 12 to 6pm; (310) 437-7610.

Dover Street Market Los Angeles
606-608 Imperial St., Los Angeles, CA 90021