On May 16, Dover Street Market London opened the doors to Market Market 2023, its first archive sale since the COVID-19 pandemic, so many would-be customers showed up that the sale had to be temporarily shut down. Clearly the people want it, but what exactly is Dover Street Market’s Market Market sale?
In Dover Street Market’s nearly 20 year history, there have only ever been a handful of Market Market archive sales at the retailer’s global outposts. Essentially a glorified warehouse sale packed with old season treasures from all of the labels that DSM sells — ranging from the COMME des GARÇONS brand family to streetwear faves like Stüssy — Market Market is typically one of the biggest sales moments in whatever year it occurs.
Market Market is distinct from Dover Street Market’s seasonal sales, which are held twice yearly in June and December and run for several months. While the seasonal DSM sales typically take 30% off the retail costs before increasing as time goes on, Market Market immediately offers all new-old stock at discounted prices upwards of 80%.
As mentioned earlier, Market Market is exceptionally rare: the last one held by Dover Street Market New York, for instance, was 2016’s Super-Market-Market, a particularly unique joint effort between DSM and the local COMME des GARÇONS store.
It’s too bad that Market Market isn’t more common: it’s as popular as you’d imagine an extremely deep, consistently refreshed sale would be.
So many consumers descended upon Dover Street Market London’s Market Works sale (as this iteration is known) that the event, held in the recently shuttered Printwork London venue, briefly stopped allowing new customers — DSM called it “unprecedented demand.”
The crowds should clear out at least a little bit by May 21, when DSM London’s 2023 Market Market sale ends, so get those tickets. There’s no telling when the next Market Market will happen, if ever.