Opening Ceremony Is Going to Be Big in Japan, Literally
"On the 30th of August the ginormous 50,000 square foot Opening Ceremony store will open with a great deal of fanfare in the Shibuya section of Tokyo, Japan.
This store marks the largest retail space Opening Ceremony has opened, making its properties in New York(2,500 sq ft.) and Los Angeles (10,000 sq ft.) seem dwarfish in comparison.
Founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim have spared no expense to make the celebratory party for their new endeavor a hit, going so far as to hire Julian Casablancas to perform songs off his forthcoming solo album for the VIP party at the space on the 29th.
The duo have also tapped another hip New York resource - Other Music - to supply the store soundtrack to be played during operating hours. OM has been the steady supplier of curated play lists for the LA arm of the brand for the last few years.
While in Asia, Julian will also perform at the Duo Music Exchange in Tokyo (also in the Shibuya district) on August 31st, making it his first public concert as a solo artist. The concert will begin at 7:00pm. Tickets are 4,500JPY and there is a one drink minimum.
Inquiries to Julian’s reps were left unanswered at press time, but this seems to be the real deal."
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"Eight floors. 50,000 square feet. “A monster megaplex” featuring shop-in-shops by the likes of Alexander Wang, Boy by Band of Outsiders, D.A.P. Books, Other Music, Trash & Vaudeville, and The Row. Welcome to Opening Ceremony, Japan. The store OC founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim have built in the heart of Tokyo’s Shibuya shopping district is no effing joke, to put it bluntly. Opening on the 30th, the store features “all the classic Opening Ceremony product,” as Leon says, plus a bevy of launch exclusives, the aforementioned shop-in-shops, plus a few others, and a restaurant called Potluck that’s about to make “brunch” trendy in Japan. “We wanted to focus on the experience as much as the merchandise,” Leon explains. “Every floor has its own point of view. Going through the store is kind of like getting a tour of American architecture throughout the ages-like, the first floor is Santa Fe/Southwestern, then there’s a floor referencing sixties modernist architecture, and another one that’s seventies hippie…” There is also, Leon notes, a floor made to look like a typical American office. Those cubicles ought to make an interesting backdrop for the Opening Ceremony opening bash, at which Strokes-man Julian Casablancas will be playing songs off his forthcoming solo LP. The party’s not until the 29th, so there’s still plenty of time to book a flight."
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- YAH! He got a mention on STYLE.COM