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Ten years of outfitting New York's (and gradually Los Angeles' and other international city's) cool set have left Opening Ceremonies owners Humberto Leon and Carol Lim with plenty of accomplishments to count. Long time collaborator and friend of the store Chloë Sevigny, however, is mostly interested in the food:
“I remember when I used to go to their tiny office with my own food. Now I go up there and it’s this huge machine. They have water and almonds and blueberries and you can see how the company has changed and has grown enormously."
Nuts and berries aside, the launch of two new projects—handbags ($450 to $800) and a 288-page, advertisement free magazine ($25)—officially hails the the store's tenth anniversary.
Called the Opening Ceremony Annual, the magazine's first issue has the usual sporty bent, consisting of a cover shot by Bruce Weber, portraits of young athletes, and personal essays on a melange of non-mainstream sports (double dutch jump roping is mentioned at one point). Alongside those features, there are tributes to how far Leon and Lim have come, interviews with industry folk, stories from the founders' childhoods, and other OC testaments. Pick it up if you want to know about how the pair went from sinking "$20,000 in savings and some credit cards," into the first New York Chinatown location in 2002 to opening eight brick-and-mortar stores plus a pop-up in London, and countless collaborations and partnerships with some of the most buzz-worthy names in the business.
In short, Leon and Lim have a lot to wax poetic about. But, of course, they keep it cool. Lim says, "Looking back on 10 years, it seems so crazy because it seems like no time has passed. The book is an amazing chronological history for us and a celebration of all our partnerships." Happy birthday, guys.
· Opening Ceremony Reflects on 10 Years [WWD]
· The Result of Topshop and Opening Ceremony's Confusing Union: These $160 Knickers [Racked]
· All Opening Ceremony Coverage [Racked]