Few brands have had the cultural impact of Opening Ceremony. The retailer first opened its doors in 2002, beginning as a small store in Lower Manhattan. In the decades since, its expertly-curated offering of emerging and established designers, as well as an own in-house line, made Opening Ceremony a fan favourite among fashion's elite, with everyone from Chloë Sevingy to Rihanna a fan.
Sadly, in 2020, shortly after the business was acquired by Italian fashion company New Guards Group, the doors to Opening Ceremony's brick-and-mortar stores were closed. “It’s incredibly emotional for us to announce today that we will be closing our Opening Ceremony retail locations sometime in 2020,” the brand’s founders, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon wrote on Instagram at the time. “We’ve made a decision to focus on growing Opening Ceremony collection and brand… (which) takes the beautiful spirit of experimentation, fun and collaboration embodied in our stores and imbues this energy into the clothing we make.”
Needless to say, an absence of physical Opening Ceremony outposts has made getting our hands on the brand a little trickier in recent years. If you fall into the same camp, we've got you covered. Below, where to track down an elusive Opening Ceremony piece.
1. FARFETCH
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Location: online only
The company that acquired Opening Ceremony also owns FARFETCH, so its no surprise that the online retailer has one of the best and most expansive Opening Ceremony offerings. You'll be spoilt for choice with the expertly-curated collection of RTW and accessories.
2. SSENSE
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Location: online only
As far as were concerned, SSENSE is an arbiter of cool, so its no surprise the online retailer stocks Opening Ceremony. While their collection is small, like most things SSENSE touches, you'll likely come across some hidden gems here.
3. Vestiare Collective
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Location: online only
If it's a past-season gem you're after, you've come to the right place. Re-sale platform Vestiare Collective is home to a plethora of Opening Ceremony pieces, from the classic graphic tee, to hard-to-come-by pieces from the brand's many collaborations. Your only challenge will be snapping up your desired item before someone else does.
4. Asphalt NYC
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Location: online, with physical stores in New York.
Staten Island-based boutique Asphalt NYC offers a small, carefully curated collection of classic Opening Ceremony styles, from sweatshirts to accessories. Even better, if you find yourself in New York, their IRL postings offer a similar shopping experience to the original Opening Ceremony stores.
Featured products are selected editorially. Our opinions are our own. Occasionally, we may receive a standard affiliate partner fee if you make a purchase using the links we feature.