Last week my friend Marina, author of our Intimate Vision column, took me for a visit to the Dover market on Lexington and 30th street in NYC. Duplicating the existing concepts already in sync in London and Tokyo, this is the conceptual inspiration of Rei Kawakubo creative master of the Japanese brand Comme Des Garcons. Much discussion abounds about the eccentric content and the artful interiors that make this shopping experience a new approach to merchandising. Nonetheless, controversy is, in my opinion, just what is needed to catapult the retail industry out of the white box syndrome that has taken the USA hostage. Tagged as a “Slow Shopping” experience, this seven floor studio of known and emerging designer brands is a continual stage for the imagination. Yes, some of the content makes one wonder, but so do the works that fill many art gallery’s worldwide. Slightly off the beaten track for a NYC designer store, this anchor could prove how desperate the public is for stimulation and entertainment when spending their well earned money. The neighborhood and the retail world are in for a sea change.
