Opening Ceremony (brand)

Opening Ceremony
TypePrivate
IndustryRetail
FoundedSeptember 2002 (2002-09) in New York City, United States
Founders
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Area served
  • United States
ProductsClothing
Websiteopeningceremony.com

Opening Ceremony is a fashion brand founded in 2002 by Carol Lim and Humberto Leon. The brand designs and creates its own products and also retails other emerging fashion labels,[1] being early retailers of Havaianas and Topshop,[2] and also Alexander Wang, Comme Des Garcons, Proenza Schouler and Rodarte.[2] The cofounders believed that a person willing to buy luxury goods would also be willing to buy cheap T-shirts, socks, and art pieces in the same retail space.[2]

In January 2020, Opening Ceremony was acquired by New Guards Group, a subsidiary of Farfetch. In late 2023, Farfetch was itself acquired by the South Korean e-commerce company Coupang for $500 million.[3][4]

History

Founding

Carol Lim and Humberto Leon opened Opening Ceremony in downtown New York in 2002.[5]

Stores

The Tokyo store, located in Shibuya, was ranked by the American magazine Complex as the fourth-best store in the world in 2013. Opening Ceremony also operated a store in Los Angeles.[6]

Collaborations

In 2008, Chloë Sevigny designed a clothing line with Opening Ceremony, working closely with co-founder Humberto Leon. The collection sold at Barneys nationwide.[6] In 2009, Opening Ceremony collaborated with Spike Jonze on a collection tied to his film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, with jewelry provided by Pamela Love.[7] In 2010, Opening Ceremony collaborated with Maison Margiela on the French fashion house's first co-branded project, followed by a womenswear line for Margiela's MM6 label in 2011.[8] In 2017, Esprit and Opening Ceremony created a joint collection.[9] In 2018, Opening Ceremony partnered with Crosby Studios to produce a collection of tables, chairs, and furniture in monochromatic royal purple.[8][10] The Spring 2018 collection was presented after hours at Disneyland's Toontown to mark Mickey Mouse's 90th birthday, with Mickey and Minnie Mouse walking the runway.[11][12]

Fashion shows

Opening Ceremony often replaced traditional runway presentations with performance art. For the Spring 2015 collection, American actor Jonah Hill wrote the one-act play Lost Cotton.[13] In 2015, choreographer Justin Peck of the New York City Ballet directed the Spring 2016 show, in which models collapsed to the ground and rose again, performing in a garden setting.[14] The collection incorporated bonsai embroidery, African textiles, and Moorish-inspired silhouettes.[14]

For Fall 2017, Spike Jonze directed and Ryan Heffington choreographed "Changers," a dance piece about a romantic relationship, starring Lakeith Stanfield and Mia Wasikowska at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.[15][16] That year, the brand also collaborated with the New York City Ballet on "The Times Are Racing," dressing dancers in casual attire.[17]

The Spring 2019 show, "The Gift of Showz," was held at (Le) Poisson Rouge and featured Sasha Velour, Shea Couleé, Lypsinka, West Dakota, and 40 other drag queens; Christina Aguilera opened the finale.[18] The collection featured summer dresses and floral prints alongside all-black outfits.[19]

Lookbooks

In 2008, Chloë Sevigny modelled in and published a lookbook with Opening Ceremony, photographed by Mark Borthwick.[6][20]

For their February 2019 lookbook, Leon and Lim featured Asian-American figures including musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, chef Angela Dimayuga, and designer Anna Sui.[21]

Kenzo

In 2011, Lim and Leon became co-creative directors of Kenzo, owned by LVMH.[22]

In 2019, they announced they were stepping down after reacquiring all shares of Opening Ceremony from Berkshire Partners, which had held a minority stake. Their final Kenzo show was on June 23, 2019, for the Spring 2020 collection.[23]

Acquisition and closure

On January 13, 2020, the company was acquired by New Guards Group, which owns Off-White and other streetwear brands. On January 14, Lim and Leon announced that all retail stores would close that year, citing rapid changes in consumer behaviour and shopping habits.[24][25]

Under New Guards Group, the brand continued releasing collections. Its Fall/Winter 2022 collection was its most recent confirmed release.[26] No new collections have been announced since.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Opening Ceremony's Carol Lim on Finding Politics in Fashion". Time. December 9, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Levy, Ariel (August 18, 2010). "The Success of Opening Ceremony's Carol Lim and Humberto Leon". ELLE. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  3. ↑ Fernandez, Chantal (January 13, 2020). "Opening Ceremony Acquired by Off-White Backer New Guards Group". Business of Fashion. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  4. ↑ Zargani, Luisa (September 4, 2025). "What to Watch: New Guards Group Faces Uncertain Future". WWD.
  5. ↑ Zarrella, Katharine K. (April 1, 2012). "Humberto Leon and Carol Lim". Interview Magazine.
  6. 1 2 3 Griffin, Alison; Keltner, Jane (February 2008). "Miss independent". Teen Vogue. p. 11.
  7. ↑ Kan, Eugene (September 25, 2009). "Where The Wild Things Are × Opening Ceremony Collection". Hypebeast.
  8. 1 2 "A Look Back at Opening Ceremony's 20 Most Notable Collaborations". HYPEBEAST. January 15, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  9. ↑ Iredale, Jessica (April 26, 2017). "Esprit x Opening Ceremony Campaign Casts Famous Daughters and Sons". WWD. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Crosby Studios news and design". Dezeen. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  11. ↑ "This Fashion Brand Staged a Full Runway Show at Disneyland". Time. March 8, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Opening Ceremony Spring 2018 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show". Vogue. March 8, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Spike Jonze and Jonah Hill Turn the Fashion World Inside Out". Vanity Fair. September 8, 2014.
  14. 1 2 Garced, Kristi (September 14, 2015). "Opening Ceremony RTW Spring 2016". WWD. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  15. ↑ Foley, Bridget (September 11, 2017). "Opening Ceremony Fall 2017". WWD. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  16. ↑ Tauer, Kristen (September 11, 2017). "Opening Ceremony's Front Row at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club". WWD.
  17. ↑ Iredale, Jessica (January 29, 2017). "Opening Ceremony Choreographs an Evening of Ballet, Fashion and Politics". WWD. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  18. ↑ Schneier, Matthew (September 10, 2018). "Fashion Week's a Drag at Opening Ceremony". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Opening Ceremony Spring 2019 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show". Vogue. September 10, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  20. ↑ Chloë Sevigny for Opening Ceremony. New York: Opening Ceremony. 2008. ISBN 978-0-615-19708-1.
  21. ↑ Yam, Kimberly (February 16, 2019). "Opening Ceremony Designers Honor Asian Pioneers In Fashion Week Lookbook". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  22. ↑ Suhrawardi, Rebecca. "Kenzo: How Carol Lim and Humberto Leon Are Setting The Mark for LVMH Brands". Forbes. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  23. ↑ Yotka, Steff (June 14, 2019). "Humberto Leon and Carol Lim Leave Kenzo After Eight Years". Vogue. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  24. ↑ Lockwood, Lisa (January 13, 2020). "Opening Ceremony Sold to New Guards Group". WWD. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  25. ↑ Davis, Dominic-Madori (January 16, 2020). "Opening Ceremony, the high-end retailer beloved by millennials, is shuttering all its stores in 2020 – and it's just the latest victim of the retail apocalypse". Business Insider Australia. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  26. ↑ Chow, Aaron (July 29, 2022). "Opening Ceremony Celebrates the Universal Language of Food for FW22". Hypebeast.
  27. ↑ Fisher, Lauren Alexis (October 28, 2016). "Drake Wearing An ESPRIT Tracksuit Is Exactly What Your Friday Needs". Harper's BAZAAR. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Opening Ceremony Spring 2019 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show". Vogue. September 10, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  29. ↑ Omarion Ft. Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko – Post To Be (Official Video) YouTube Published: February 17, 2015
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.