Opening Ceremony defined cool for 18 years — then the retail world left it behind

Opening Ceremony was founded in September 2002 in New York's SoHo by Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, two UC Berkeley graduates from Los Angeles. The store's concept was simple: bring the world to New York by changing the store's theme and country focus every year, importing emerging designers from different nations. It mixed $15,000 Rodarte gowns with $5 handmade Mexican candlesticks — high and low, serious and playful — and became a hangout for artists, celebrities, and downtown creatives.

Opening Ceremony pioneered experiential retail before the term existed. Over 18 years, it staged fashion shows at Disneyland, commissioned one-act plays from Jonah Hill, choreographed runway presentations with the New York City Ballet, and put 40 drag queens on a runway opened by Christina Aguilera. It opened stores in Los Angeles, Tokyo (ranked #4 best store in the world by Complex in 2013), and London. Its collaborations became legendary: Chloë Sevigny, Spike Jonze, Maison Margiela (the French house's first-ever co-branded project), Esprit, and Vans.

In April 2014, Berkshire Partners and Front Row Partners took a minority stake in Opening Ceremony. The founders used the capital to expand, but the multi-brand retail model was already under pressure. Customers could buy the same labels directly from the brands or at deeper discounts from department stores and e-commerce platforms. The in-house Opening Ceremony label generated less than 25% of revenue — the company was primarily a retailer of other people's brands, with thin margins and no moat.

In May 2018, the company laid off 23 employees while searching for a new investor. In 2019, the founders reacquired Berkshire Partners' stake. On January 14, 2020, Lim and Leon announced Opening Ceremony had sold its trademark and IP to New Guards Group (Farfetch-owned parent of Off-White and Palm Angels) and would close all retail stores. The brand continued as a licensing label under NGG, releasing collections through Farfetch, but the bricks-and-mortar empire — four stores across three continents — was gone.