Adrian Joffe
Chief executive of Comme des Garçons and co-founder of Dover Street Market
Adrian Joffe is the chief executive of Comme des Garçons and, with Rei Kawakubo, the co-founder of Dover Street Market, the multi-brand retail concept that opened in London in 2004. He is widely regarded as one of the most original retail thinkers in fashion, translating Kawakubo's avant-garde vision into a global business.
| Role | Chief executive of Comme des Garçons |
|---|---|
| Co-founded | Dover Street Market, London, 10 September 2004 |
| Partner | Rei Kawakubo |
| DSM locations | London, Tokyo, New York, Singapore, Beijing, Los Angeles, Paris |
Who is Adrian Joffe?
Adrian Joffe is the executive who runs the business of Comme des Garçons, the Japanese fashion company founded by designer Rei Kawakubo. Kawakubo launched the label in Tokyo in 1969, formally established the company in 1973 and debuted in Paris in 1981. Joffe, Kawakubo's long-standing business partner, oversees its commercial side and has shaped how the company sells, licenses and presents its work around the world.
Career
As chief executive, Joffe has developed Comme des Garçons into a group with numerous lines, including labels designed by Junya Watanabe and Tao Kurihara and the casual Play line. He set up two separate perfume entities: one licensing fragrances to Puig from 2002 and another for independent perfume sales. Comme des Garçons Parfums itself dates back to 1993. By 2017 the company reported revenue of more than 280 million US dollars a year across its operations.
In 2004 Comme des Garçons launched temporary guerrilla stores, designed to open for about a year with minimal investment in interiors. The same year, on 10 September 2004, Joffe and Kawakubo opened Dover Street Market in London's Mayfair, inspired by the old Kensington Market. Kawakubo described the concept as "beautiful chaos".
Dover Street Market has since expanded internationally:
- London, 2004 (relocated 2016)
- Ginza, Tokyo, 2012
- New York, December 2013
- Singapore, July 2017
- Beijing, February 2018
- Los Angeles, autumn 2018
- Paris, Dover Street Parfums Market in 2019 and a full store in May 2024
Influence on the fashion business
Dover Street Market redefined the multi-brand store. Rather than a department store organised by category, it is a curated environment where brands, including emerging designers and Comme des Garçons lines, present their own spaces, and where the layout changes regularly. Several locations include a Rose Bakery café. The format has influenced concept stores and department stores worldwide and has helped launch or support many younger labels.
Joffe's approach also showed that an avant-garde design house can run a profitable, diversified business through fragrance, diffusion lines and retail, without diluting its creative identity.
Why it matters
For retailers and brands, Adrian Joffe is a reference for curation-led retail and for the partnership between creative and commercial leadership. Dover Street Market remains a benchmark for how physical stores can act as editorial spaces and incubators rather than simply points of sale.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Adrian Joffe?
Adrian Joffe is the chief executive of Comme des Garçons and the co-founder, with Rei Kawakubo, of Dover Street Market. He is responsible for the business side of the company founded by Kawakubo.
What is Dover Street Market?
Dover Street Market is a multi-brand fashion store concept opened by Joffe and Kawakubo in London in 2004. It now has locations in cities including Tokyo, New York, Singapore, Beijing, Los Angeles and Paris, and is known for its curated, regularly changing layout.