Joining prominent retailer Lane Crawford, Japanese label White Mountaineering unveil its recent collaborative in conjunction with the luxury goods purveyor. Limited to Hong Kong and Beijing distribution, the Black Dyed Denim Shirt was crafted in a limited 50-piece production run. Featuring a quilting stitched collar, the black/grey-colored button-up is crafted with tonal black hardware and a two-pocket chest. The black dye process affords the shirt a degree of personality via the distressed gradient aesthetic. The White Mountaineering for Lane Crawford Black Dyed Denim Shirt will be available at the end of January through Lane Crawford.

Photography: Hypebeast

Premium department store Lane Crawford has teamed up with German luggage manufacturer Rimowa to present a range titled the Silver Crystal Limbo collection. Falling under the elegant Limbo line, this small range of collaboration trolley bags encompasses three sizes including 21”, 27” and 31” versions, all featuring a reinforced aluminum on its corners and openings. Albeit the aesthetic shows a strong hint of sturdiness and durability, the suitcases nonetheless still remain true to Rimowa’s lightweight philosophy. This collection will be available at Lane Crawford branches in Hong Kong.

Photography: Hypebeast

Lane Crawford collaborates with New York fashion brand Rag & Bone to extend its renowned DIY project. Rag & Bone selected eight leading fashion influencers of Hong Kong and Beijing to express the attitude of the brand through various mediums such as fashion and photography. In lieu of launching their Spring/Summer 2012 collection, Lane Crawford invited creative directors Marcus Wainwright and David Neville of Rag & Bone to Hong Kong to celebrate the second season of the DIY project. An exclusive cocktail event will be held on November 10, 2011 at the IFC mall Lane Crawford in honor of both creative directors.

The “lab by Lane Crawford” retail concept for modern women was marked by the launch of in-store installations in Hong Kong and Beijing, as well as artistic takes on the release. First debuted was the “Symphony of Milano” video by Milan-based creative director Marcelo Burlon and creative collaborator for “lab by Lane Crawford” who created a short video featuring 23 of Milan’s most talked-about influencers, including models, artists, stylists, art directors and musicians. His latest video release is geared toward the city of Hong Kong, as Burlon grabs new individuals to express their style in selected lab fashion-brand wardrobes available at Lane Crawford. The cast includes local fashion icon Hilary Tsui, stylist Tina Leung, blogger Cindy Ko and designer Philip Chu; as well as creatives Arnault Castel, Danielle Huthart and Kevin Poon. Featured lab brands included Acne, Alexander Wang, Band of Outsiders, Carven, Helmut Lang, IRO, Joseph, Markus Lupfer, McQ, Opening Ceremony, rag & bone, Rick Owens Lilies and Theyskens’ Theory. Enjoy!

Part of the collaborative product series presented by the Opening Ceremony x Lane Crawford pop-up union in Hong Kong, the established retailer/brand releases a set of ties produced by Band of Outsiders. Designed by brand head honcho Scott Sternberg, the square-end ties are featured in summer-friendly Indian madras with three distinct patterns being featured. For those interested, they are now available to purchase online through Opening Ceremony.

Last night marked the beginning of Opening Ceremony and Lane Crawford’s partnership which manifested itself through both fashion and a large-scale event. With Lane Crawford’s IFC store as the backdrop, numerous attendees were shown a memorable night involving extensive showings of the new collaborative works between OC and LC as well as three-way collaborations between brands respectively carried by each entity. Mini food stands were setup throughout the store as people were allowed to roam freely and continue shopping. Be sure to check out our recent interview with Humberto Leon as well.

Photography: Hypebeast

In their respective markets, Opening Ceremony and Lane Crawford have both come to represent the pinnacle of fashion retail. Looking back, Lane Crawford has been a prominent player in Hong Kong having officially opened its first doors back in 1850. Since then, it has come to represent one of Hong Kong’s most respected retailers. An enviable roster of brands representing the most creative and groundbreaking together with some amazing locations, Lane Crawford has earned the title of one of the world’s elite retailers. On the other hand is a much younger entity in Opening Ceremony. With less than a decade under its belt, Opening Ceremony in their own regard has successfully merged retail together with designing a brand. With a well-trained eye for both classical clothing design as well as progressive and avant-garde labels, Opening Ceremony’s ability to operate in both the realm of retail and design is a testament to the efforts and vision of co-founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim. Ahead of Opening Ceremony and Lane Crawford’s official capsule launch on Thursday, we caught up with Humberto to get a bit of insight into this latest project as well as the ethos that surrounds Opening Ceremony.

The original catalyst for setting up OC was a trip to Hong Kong… After all these years, how has the city changed? 

Hong Kong is as vibrant as ever. I think that Hong Kong always has a glamorous feel about it. You watch all these amazing old movies and they always talk about trips to Hong Kong and how special they are. I can’t help but feel the same way. Plus, the shopping is incredible.

Many people have often cited Hong Kong as a great place to shop, but the real estate situation often trickles down extensively to the consumer with expensive pricing.

How should retailers view this relationship between real estate and subsequent pricing of their products?
I think that stores should open off the beaten path and develop their own communities. There are so many great side streets and buildings where businesses can open, and as a consumer, I love searching for these hidden gems. This is a great way for stores to have a lower overhead and keep prices of their goods reasonable.

As you open different stores in different markets, do you have any particular regional or cultural changes that need to be taken into consideration?

We always consider the locality of the space when we open our stores. Even within New York, opening at the Ace Hotel, we really took into consideration what was around us. When we opened Tokyo, we wanted the store to feel like our dream fantasy Tokyo store. We go with our gut and always maintain the Opening Ceremony point of view which is fun, full of discovery, and excitement.

As retailers make the transfer over to making clothing and acting as a brand, what are usually the most unforeseen difficulties?

This was built into the DNA of Opening Ceremony. We really approached this logically and grew the business at a manageable pace. I think that the financial portion of having your own label is a big burden that people don’t realize. It’s really about balancing everything and taking each day one step at a time. At the end of the day, if you think logically, everything works out in the end.

The brands stocked by Opening Ceremony are undoubtedly an eclectic range. Do you feel as though fashion these days embraces greater diversity and that few, if any, people need to stick to a particular genre?

We always talk about “occasional dressing.” We buy for the stores according to all different types of occasions. This makes our store feel eclectic but if you look through it, it makes a lot of sense. I also often react or dress according to my mood, and I like that the store speaks to different moods.

The whole notion of telling a story seems to coincide with presenting a lifestyle. Is there some truth to this? Does success for a fashion retailer mean getting people involved far beyond just clothing?

I think that it is important to know what you are buying, so in that sense the storytelling portion is important. I think the day of just buying a shirt for no reason is too easy. It is so much more interesting when you know information about what you are buying and why a brand is exciting.

How would you describe OC’s aesthetic and approach to fashion?

Fun, new, exciting and often something unexpected.

Collaborations have been an integral part of the OC brand, given the wealth of different brands you’ve been able to work with. What has been the best part of it all? Is there a certain essence or theme that is applied universally throughout everything?

These are more partnerships than collaborations. We always like every project to feel special in its own way, and we give no limitations to our partners. It is really a conversation between two people or two brands and the product becomes the answer to that conversation.

As you worked with Lane Crawford on a line, what was the goal of the range between the two parties?

We wanted to highlight the silhouettes that felt classic to Opening Ceremony and really develop a product range that would be youthful, fun and exciting for the consumer.

Anything you’d like to say or tease for the rest of 2011?

It is our 10-year anniversary next year in 2012, so let’s get ready to celebrate.

Interview: Eugene Kan
Photography: David Bowles

Later this week, two heavyweights in Opening Ceremony of New York and Lane Crawford of Hong Kong will collide to unveil an upcoming co-branded capsule of apparel. For Opening Ceremony, the brand has successfully emerged as both an innovative retailer as well as an apparel brand with several high-profile collaborations over the years. With Lane Crawford, the two will also take into consideration some of the shared brands to present three-way collaborative pieces through both menswear and womenswear. You can win tickets to the Thursday, April 14 Lane Crawford IFC event via LC’s Facebook page.

It was a trip to Hong Kong that first inspired Humberto Leon and Carol Lim to start their boutique, Opening Ceremony. Since then, the store has exploded, experiencing massive success and opening locations in Los Angeles and Tokyo as well as an e-store. For its latest project, Opening Ceremony will be launching a month-long “conceptual retail extension” within Hong Kong’s Lane Crawford department store. Operating out of Lane Crawford’s Hong Kong IFC mall unit (April 14) and Beijing store (April 16), Opening Ceremony will take over the salesfloor, merchandising it with items from its Chloe Sevigny and Rodarte collections and a special Opening Ceremony x Lane Crawford capsule collection that will include pieces for both men and women.

Born from a desire to unite the world’s design communities, Semi-Permanent is an annual creative conference covering all disciplines of design from graphic design, film and illustration to web design, photography, animation, architecture and more. Normally held in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland with satellite conferences in New York and London, the conference will be expanding this year into Asia Pacific with an initial launch in Hong Kong on March 11 and March 12 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. This year’s speakers include Industrial Light & Magic, John Merrifield of TBWA, Nabil Elderkin, 180 Amsterdam and Katy Jones among others.

Together with Hypebeast, Lane Crawford is offering 400 free tickets to next week’s Semi-Permanent conference. To participate, simply head over to Lane Crawford to fill out a short questionnaire to redeem your tickets. The tickets are valued at $1,200 HKD (approximately $154 USD).