Refinery 29: Independent Style, Defined and Refined
Pipeline RSS

the PIPELINE: Style on Tap

  • July 16, 2008 5:25 PM
  • News

Carrying the Torch: Opening Ceremony Honors the Olympics

By Gabriel Bell

oc_olympic_popupshop.jpg

Ah, the thrill of victory…the agony of defeat…the joy of retail! As readers of this blog will no doubt be aware, the Olympics are almost upon us. Sounds odd for folks in this industry to admit this, but we really do have a case of Olympic fever. But we are not alone: August 8, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, who have partnered with Nike Sportswear, will offer 24-hours of athletic-themed fun at their Opening Ceremony store. Talk about Olympic spirit!


In addition to setting up a television to allow patrons to watch the first glittering 24 hours of the games (including the opening ceremony, natch), the Soho store will sell Nike's Olympic Air Max 1 sneaker at the Souvenir "shop-in-shop," kiosks will hawk limited-edition jewelery and accessories by Philip Crangi and Fallon, and the shop will host its own participatory "games". Needless to say, all the wares and decor will echo the spirit of international competition on display in Beijing, but how, we wondered, did Leon and Lee get so fixated on the games (other than the obvious tie-in with the store's name). Leon traces his personal Olympic fever to, "watching a Nadia Cominici special before the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics." Well, that'll do it. A fan of running, swimming, and basketball events, Leon's own Olympic dream would be a gold in gymnastics. "Maybe if there were a doubles floor," he says, "Carol and I could do it." Best of luck, in 2012, sir.

Opening Ceremony is located at 35 Howard Street, New York, 212-219-2631; www.openingceremony.us.

More Posts:
M.I.A. Disappears, Leaves Sweaters Behind
One-Half of Mooka Kinney Blooms On Her Own

accesories, athletics, Carol Lim, events, jewelry, news, nike, Nike, Olympics, opening ceremony, philip crangi, retail, shopping, sneakers, soho, sports, stores, style, Umberto Leon

Add A Comment

Comments

Posted by Anonymous on July 17, 2008 4:41 PM

Oh my god!!! Those AM1's are F$%king incredible! Damn I gotta wait till the olympics for these!!!

Posted by Anonymous on July 24, 2008 4:25 AM

is there anywhere in Australia to get these kicks???

Add a Comment


Type the characters you see in the picture above.

About Refinery29Refinery29 is your online destination for discovering the best in independent fashion and style, from indie designers and emerging trends, fashion news, the best shops in new york city and los angeles, global store openings, to local sample sales, cutting-edge street style, and concise city travel and shopping reports. Drawing together a diverse community of independent thinkers from the worlds of fashion, shopping, and music, Refinery29 is devoted to seeking out fashion trends, style news, and indie designer to satisfy our readers' ongoing quest for the new, unique, and outstanding and making the independent style and shopping experience like no other.