Everything
A visit to Opening Ceremony for many people is the retail experience dream, for me, that was realised during a visit to the very trendy backstreets of Tokyo’s Harajuku suburb. With a slew of established as well as up-and-coming brands, cool streetwear is seen poking out of nooks and crannies of the five-storey boutique, revolving around a graphic printed staircase. Each store across the globe is different but only one day after the purchase of Opening Ceremony by New Guard’s Group was revealed, it was quickly announced that the company would see out the closure of all retail stores “sometime in 2020.”
Whilst we will say goodbye to a shopping experience, it is not all bad news. The sudden move will reportedly make way for co-founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim to focus on the in-house, namesake, line. While the collection has come with expansive ranges and even runway events, it could be argued that from a design perspective, it has taken a backseat for the growth of cult collaborations and maintaining the retail stores. That will soon change.
Leon and Lim’s statement confirms this, to “focus on growing [the] Opening Ceremony collection and brand with our new partners, New Guards Group, and expand the designs of Opening Ceremony.”
After eight years, the design duo left KENZO in mid-2019 to focus on their founded brand. Whilst Opening Ceremony will be most likely stocked on NGG’s parent company, Farfetch, it doesn’t mean the end of the retail venture forever with the duo assuring fans and customers that “we will return to creating stores, but with a different mindset and perspective.”
We’re looking to copping new-era threads from Opening Ceremony soon.
