When I first spotted Spike Jonze wearing a suit jacket from Opening Ceremony at a Christmas party six years ago, I knew it was the beginning of something big. In the years since, he has become a friend, a Kung Fu partner, and a frequent collaborator. Our most recent project is her by Opening Ceremony, a collection inspired by the director's new film.
I’ve seen her grow up over the past four years. The first time Spike told me about his idea to write a love story set in the future, we had caught an impromptu flight to Morocco from Paris. In between Pulp songs played on his guitar, he outlined the skeleton of the script he hoped to write, about a man who falls in love with his operating system. The next year, we were going over drafts every week after Kung Fu classes in New York. Soon, I was brainstorming with Spike and Casey Storm, the film's costume designer, about what waistlines for men and skirt lengths for women would look like in this near future. I was an extra in a scene that takes place at a LA barbecue, where I first spotted the matching shorts and sweater sets that inspired Opening Ceremony's unisex collection.
Like the aesthetic of her, Opening Ceremony’s collection is simple, comfortable, and just futuristic enough for you to want to wear it for years to come. It has pockets custom-made for everyone's best friend, his device. Last weekend, I met up with Spike one more time to talk about our work together, future visions of LA, and whether he believes in love at first sound.
Check out the her by Opening Ceremony editorial here | Shop the collection here
Humberto Leon: Let’s start out by talking about how the movie her is a real modern-day love story. What’s your take on love?
Spike Jonze: My take on love? [Laughs] I don’t know! What’s love, but a second hand-emotion? That’s a super hard question.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
Yes, I kind of think you know when you meet somebody. Even if you don’t know know. You have some sort of instant fascination. And then later, you might actually admit that that’s what it was at the time.
What about love at first sound? In her, Joaquin Phoenix's character falls in love with his operating system, which exists in the form of Scarlett Johansson's voice. Have you ever fallen in love based on someone's voice or something they said?
In hindsight, yes. I once met somebody I didn’t know very well and was going over to meet her and texted her to say I was running late. And she texted back, “I don’t give a shit.” That was the beginning of falling in love. I could track it right to that little buzz I got from that text that made me laugh and think she was awesome.
That’s cool. In many ways I feel like her is about the ultimate long-distance relationship. There isn’t necessarily a distance, but it feels like there is. Have you ever had a long-distance relationship?
Yeah, there is that similarity to a long-distance relationship because [Samantha] is a voice. If you’re traveling and trying to stay connected when somebody is far away, phone calls mean a lot. You live a lot of your relationship through those calls. Our movie is a little different in that the whole relationship [between Theodore and Samantha, the main characters] is built off of that. There is a yearning for physical connection but their connection is so deep and so intimate and they know each other so
I’ve seen her grow up over the past four years. The first time Spike told me about his idea to write a love story set in the future, we had caught an impromptu flight to Morocco from Paris. In between Pulp songs played on his guitar, he outlined the skeleton of the script he hoped to write, about a man who falls in love with his operating system. The next year, we were going over drafts every week after Kung Fu classes in New York. Soon, I was brainstorming with Spike and Casey Storm, the film's costume designer, about what waistlines for men and skirt lengths for women would look like in this near future. I was an extra in a scene that takes place at a LA barbecue, where I first spotted the matching shorts and sweater sets that inspired Opening Ceremony's unisex collection.
Like the aesthetic of her, Opening Ceremony’s collection is simple, comfortable, and just futuristic enough for you to want to wear it for years to come. It has pockets custom-made for everyone's best friend, his device. Last weekend, I met up with Spike one more time to talk about our work together, future visions of LA, and whether he believes in love at first sound.
Check out the her by Opening Ceremony editorial here | Shop the collection here
Humberto Leon: Let’s start out by talking about how the movie her is a real modern-day love story. What’s your take on love?
Spike Jonze: My take on love? [Laughs] I don’t know! What’s love, but a second hand-emotion? That’s a super hard question.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
Yes, I kind of think you know when you meet somebody. Even if you don’t know know. You have some sort of instant fascination. And then later, you might actually admit that that’s what it was at the time.
What about love at first sound? In her, Joaquin Phoenix's character falls in love with his operating system, which exists in the form of Scarlett Johansson's voice. Have you ever fallen in love based on someone's voice or something they said?
In hindsight, yes. I once met somebody I didn’t know very well and was going over to meet her and texted her to say I was running late. And she texted back, “I don’t give a shit.” That was the beginning of falling in love. I could track it right to that little buzz I got from that text that made me laugh and think she was awesome.
That’s cool. In many ways I feel like her is about the ultimate long-distance relationship. There isn’t necessarily a distance, but it feels like there is. Have you ever had a long-distance relationship?
Yeah, there is that similarity to a long-distance relationship because [Samantha] is a voice. If you’re traveling and trying to stay connected when somebody is far away, phone calls mean a lot. You live a lot of your relationship through those calls. Our movie is a little different in that the whole relationship [between Theodore and Samantha, the main characters] is built off of that. There is a yearning for physical connection but their connection is so deep and so intimate and they know each other so