9 Reasons We're Hyped to Shop at the Brand-New Dover Street Market Los Angeles
Like anything good in New York, Dover Street Market is going to Los Angeles. The globe-spanning bizarro department store—a Comme des Garçons offshoot that stocks everything from Gucci to rare Nikes to carrot cake to ultra-high-end jewelry—already has outposts in New York, London, Tokyo, Singapore, and Beijing, and now it's heading west. Downtown, specifically, to a stretch of the city's white-hot arts district, where it'll sit roughly equidistant to a killer Italian restaurant and a gun range. One of the reasons we love DSM so much is that it doesn't apply a one-size-fits-all template: the company creates a store that fits into its location. And that's especially true in L.A.: a number of the brands carried there designed their own little retail universes inside, and even more will carry special-to-DSMLA collections. We're excited, if you couldn't tell. Here's why.
Because the T-Shirts Are Out of This World
DSMNY's T-Shirt Space is rightfully beloved: located in the store's basement, it's jammed with weird, rare, wildly covetable tees. If anything, Los Angeles is even more of a T-shirt town than New York. So it's only right that the West Coast DSM has a righteous T-Shirt Space of its very own.
Because Look at This Tote Bag
I'm not entirely clear on what (or who!), exactly, Denim Tears is, besides "Kanye-adjacent." But I do know that this Chinese-takeout-meets-Blade Runner tote is incredible.
Because Stüssy's Still the OG
St¨ussy dates to the '80s; the brand knew that skaters were style icons way back in the day. And in recent years, the brand has been back in a big way, riding that wave. So it's only fitting that the only-at-Dover Street collection Stüssy designed goes very hard, from perfect fire-red shorts to very-2018 tie-dye to a tremendous surf-photo button-down and a new sunglass collaboration with Sun Buddies. It's all housed in a space inspired by Stüssy icons like "the Venus, Jamaican culture, the Dino graphic and plinths from a vintage Stüssy advertisement," according to global brand director Fraser Avery.
Because Avi Gold's Better Gift Shop Just Left Toronto
The last time we checked in with Avi Gold, he'd just opened Better Gift Shop—which is exactly what it sounds like—in Toronto. Now he's in L.A., and slinging all the bizarre, beautiful relics of the '80s, '90s, and 2000s he can get his hands on, designed by Michael Abel.
And Palace and Noah Have Come West
In addition to Gold, the proprietors behind hyper-cool skate labels Palace and Noah are also making the pioneering trek to Los Angeles. Fans of both brands know that the easiest way to get hands on their best-in-class gear is to go to their stores...which, in the States, are only in New York. And now, of course, L.A.
Because the Humble Gym Sock Deserves Some Love
Cactus Plant Flea Market is a culty, cryptic, beloved-by-Kanye-and-Pharrell label. One possible reason why? The grip of vintage crewneck sweatshirts—embellished with single white Nike gym socks—that have landed at Dover Street Market LA.
Because Noon Goons Gets It
With his label Noon Goons, Kurt Narmore sends the surf and skate gear of his youth through a deeply now fashion filter. And dude is rightfully hyped to be stocked at DSMLA. "When you walk into a Dover Street Market you feel an instant wave of energy," he tells us. "You become immersed in the smell of Rose Bakery, the beats of the music, and the sight of all the bitchin’ installations. It’s a playground to consume cool." More than that, he explains, being there is a big deal for the brand: "Having the opportunity to sell at DSM amounts to bragging rights. We couldn't be more stoked to have DSM open up in LA, just down the street from our HQ." We agree, Kurt! Also, nice job on these selling-at-DSM jackets:
Because We're Curious About What Streetwear Jam Tastes Like
Among its other gear, L.A. streetwear label Brain Dead is slinging jam crafted by Sqirl, the forever-an-hour-wait breakfast joint in Silver Lake. Made with the tears of real hypebeasts!
Because Downtown L.A. Still Has Some Weird Left
OK, so nobody's gonna mistake the opening of an extremely fancy luxury department store for anything but what it is: the latest step in downtown Los Angeles's slow march from scruffy artists' colony to fully-condoed playground for the rich. But if that shift was already an inevitability—and, friends, it was—then at least the department store is a Dover Street Market. Downtown L.A. is fancy now—but thanks to DSM, it's still gonna be at least a little bit weird.
Tour the new store here:
