What: Dover Street Market launches its first in-house brand DSM, designed by Comme des Garçons' Kei Ninomiya, featuring accessible everyday wear with a preppy-meets-casual aesthetic for Spring-Summer 2026.

Why it is important: This development shows how influential concept stores are adapting their business models to meet changing consumer demands, combining their design credibility with accessible price points while nurturing emerging creative talent.

Dover Street Market marks a significant evolution in its 21-year history with the launch of DSM, its first in-house brand. The inaugural collection, designed by Kei Ninomiya of Comme des Garçons' "noir" label, represents a departure from his typically intricate and theatrical designs in favour of accessible, everyday wear. The collection reimagines preppy classics through a contemporary lens, transforming traditional English university club uniforms into casual, sporty garments. Key pieces include blazers, pleated skirts, and cardigans reinterpreted in jersey and fleece materials, with distinctive DSM branding incorporated through creative details such as coat of arms decorations and striped accents. The brand's strategy involves rotating different designers for future collections, each bringing their unique vision to the label while maintaining the concept store's signature "beautiful chaos" aesthetic. This initiative builds upon Dover Street Market's existing Brand Development division, which currently supports approximately fifteen emerging brands.

IADS Notes: Dover Street Market's launch of DSM reflects broader transformations in concept store strategy throughout 2024-2025. As seen in December 2024, 10 Corso Como demonstrated successful concept store evolution through strategic retail partnerships, expanding to six new locations while maintaining its distinctive identity. This trend continued when, in November 2024, Printemps Haussmann debuted an innovative concept store in its men's department, combining luxury brands with accessible price points. The approach mirrors Le Bon Marché's December 2024 private label transformation, where collaboration with digital innovators and focus on inclusive sizing created a more relevant offering. Dover Street Market's strategy of combining established design talent with accessible products aligns with successful department store innovations, as demonstrated by Liberty London's May 2025 success in championing emerging brands while maintaining its luxury positioning.

Dover Street Market starts its first in-house brand, DSM