Avant-garde Stores
A list of the coolest avant-garde shops around.
Most Recent Stores
Dover Street Market
Mayfair - London, United KingdomReader Suggested: Incredible guerrilla store from Comme des Garçons where they give space to up and coming designers. The selection is always amazing and changing frequently, you'll find everything from Lanvin to Boudicca to Balenciaga to Jens Laugesen. The building seems more like a warehouse but it just...
Dover Street Market
Aoyama - Tokyo, JapanReader Suggested: Incredible guerrilla store from Comme des Garçons where they give space to up and coming designers. The selection is always amazing and changing frequently, you'll find everything from Lanvin to Boudicca to Balenciaga to Jens Laugesen.
Ikram
Gold Coast/Streeterville - Chicago, IL United StatesWhile you await for Chicago's first Yohji Yamamoto store (don't hold your breath), Ikram is the one and only place in the city where the world's most ambitious, avant-garde designer clothing can be found. The most revered names in Japanese, French, Belgian and American fashion...
The Archive
Union Square - San Francisco, CA United StatesReader Suggested: This store is one of GQ's top 100 (men's) stores in the US.
Apartment
Mitte - Berlin, GermanyReader Suggested: Still the hot spot to find the newest and avant-garde fashion designers.
Andreas Murkudis
Mitte - Berlin, GermanyReader Suggested: It's pure, it's simple, it's totally stylish. Run by the brother of (fashion designer) Kostas Murkudis.
Creatures of Comfort
Melrose Heights - Los Angeles, CA United StatesCreatures of Comfort is actually rather restless--anxious to find who's next in fashion and scouring near and far to make it happen. Looking far they introduce up and coming labels from Japan, the UK and France. Looking near they are among...
Hejfina
Wicker Park - Chicago, IL United StatesHejfina has elegant modern living down pat. For clothing expect avant-garde Japanese brands, ultra-exclusive New York brands, next to creative selections from Brazil, England and France. These are articles you certainly won't find anywhere...
IF
SoHo - New York, NY United StatesThere's something delightfully old-school about IF. The SoHo stalwart carries an unparalleled collection of avant-garde clothing for men and women, from our favorite Japanese and Belgium designers. And that's pretty much it. No PR and...
Salt
Abbot Kinney - Venice, CA United StatesAmong the girly, beachy boutiques nearby Salt at first looks out of place, but where better than near the ocean to sell clothes that are organic and essential. Dominated by solid, understated colors, soft fabrics and loose silhouettes this is...
Atelier
SoHo - New York, NY United StatesFor men who'd like to make a statement with their clothing without resorting to sequins or bright prints, Atelier provides a refreshing alternative. The dramatic space is lined with clothing and accessories that are mostly white, black or...
Seven
SoHo - New York, NY United StatesSeven has an uncanny ability to find designers that march to the beat of their own drum. From Belgium and Japan, Germany and New York, they find creations that pay little attention to the trends and looks of the season. Some pieces scream: white...
Oak
Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY United StatesThe best clothing shops are really good filters. It's one thing to seek out and stock the hippest labels. It's another thing entirely to irreverently edit these lines to find those handful of pieces that are both stylish and versatile,...
MAC
Hayes Valley - San Francisco, CA United StatesIn fashion, where fortunes turn on a dime, that a little boutique can persist for 20 years and stay every bit as relevant as it was when it opened is nothing short of remarkable. MAC has done just that and they've done it, as their name...
Robin Richman
Bucktown - Chicago, IL United StatesOther than a giant hanging ball of tumbleweed, Robin Richman looks like any other boutique in the boutique-laden neighborhood. So how are you supposed to know that inside are some of the most interesting and artful clothes in all of Chicago. Robin Richman collects avant-garde designers...
Noodle Stories
Third Street - Los Angeles, CA United StatesIf you want to buy high-end clothing and don't have a fortune to spend here's a tip: focus on the basics. Buy basic pieces that you'll wear from season to season and that'll class up any outfit. In other words, buy pieces...
Famous Friends
East Village - New York, NY United StatesStart with the denim. For Famous Friends, a hip casual wardrobe starts with a fine pair of jeans. And they have several examples of such: raw selvedge denim from Scandinavia, high-end denim from Levi's, a selection from Japan's most...
Opening Ceremony
SoHo - New York, NY United StatesWhen we think clothing boutique and New York a store like Opening Ceremony is what we have in mind. The store is hip and worldy, avant-garde but approachable, artful and industrial. The large, long space, complete with a loft area contains a...
Butter
Boerum Hill - Brooklyn, NY United StatesOn our visit, Butter was doing its very best to stay low key. The storefront is small and the only adornments were two opaque screens blocking a view of the clothes inside. It wasn't working. The store was packed regardless, with women...
Betty Lin
Pioneer Square - Seattle, WA United StatesYou don't want Marc by Marc, you just want Marc. You wish Yohji would have the decency to write his full name on a piece of your clothing. For those tired of diffusion brands but not quite ready for flagship brand prices, Betty Lin provides a...