To say it’s been a busy week for our founders, Carol and Humberto, is an understatement. They just finished directing over a hundred models, dancers, musicians, and performers of all kinds at Pier 36 for the Kenzo x H&M show. (Mind you, this was their THIRD show this season!)
With Carol and Humberto's tireless work ethic and endless creativity, it should then come as no surprise that they would be honored by Cooper Hewitt at the National Design Awards Gala, held last night at the the museum's Arthur Rose Terrace and Garden. This was a celebration of the museum’s 17th annual awards where each year Cooper Hewitt recognizes a variety of disciplines for excellence and innovation. We are proud to say last May, Opening Ceremony received the National Design Award for Fashion Design, one of the eleven categories.
To commemorate this celebration, we reissued the Opening Ceremony Diamond Hoodie Sweatshirt. Why? Because the story behind this simple garment only reminds us of how far along Carol and Humberto have come over the years: from shopkeepers to award-winning designers.
In 2002, the year Opening Ceremony opened its very first mom-and-pop store on Howard Street, Humberto—always the craftsman—had the idea to combine two sweatshirts into one by color-blocking the pieces. He discovered a small, family home-cum-factory in Greenpoint to craft his ideas into reality—cutting and sewing sweatshirt fabric together to make what he knew others could also want.
Enter Diamond Hoodie Sweatshirt, the first garment made by Opening Ceremony. With its simple graphic color blocking design, the sweatshirt was adopted as a cult item by kids all over New York, who wear it to this day. Karl Lagerfeld even wore one for an article in V Magazine, and artist Oliver Mosset used the design as inspiration for his 2009 piece, "Hoodie." The sweatshirt's modern twist on a familiar classic became a hallmark of the Opening Ceremony clothing collection which was launched the following year.
Yes, this whole story is all about a 100% cotton hoodie. But we brought it back— to remember and celebrate where we started after such a remarkable journey. Because while Humberto and Carol may no longer be hand-stitching garments under the name Opening Ceremony, they’re still the same mom and pop.
Shop the Diamond Hoodie Sweatshirt exclusively online here.
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Above Humberto Leon and Carol Lim wear the Diamond Hoodie Sweatshirt in Grey/White, the first garment made by Opening Ceremony, now reissued exclusively online in honor of Cooper Hewitt's National Design Award in Fashion Design. Photo by Isabel Asha Penzilien.
