Tastemaker: Opening Ceremony's Humberto Leon

Photo: Spencer Heyfron

Out's November issue showcases our annual Tastemakers portfolio, which highlights the hippest arbiters of style currently leading the charge at the forefront of the nation's ongoing cultural revolution.

From fashion phenoms to chic restaurateurs to dance company directors, these men's impeccable taste and sensibility make our lives simpler, prettier, happier, and richer. Today's featured trendsetter is Opening Ceremony's Humberto Leon:

It was on a vacation to Hong Kong that University of California, Berkeley, pals Humberto Leon and Carol Lim came up with the idea to create Opening Ceremony, their global fashion store. Shopping abroad was such a fun experience that Leon and Lim thought they should bring it back to New York, opening their first SoHo boutique in 2002. The shop showcases and sells the fashion of a different country each season (this fall: Japan!) and has already expanded to Los Angeles.

Last year Leon and Lim developed a line with their first house designer: indie chick Chloe Sevigny, who will continue to design through next year and expand into menswear. After the success of that line, Leon says he's open to further collaboration with "artists, musicians, maybe even teachers." The hallmark of Sevigny's design is a trait that Leon himself holds in the highest esteem: wearability. "The best way to describe my taste is by saying that it is a culmination of all types of practical clothing for certain purposes," he explains. "It's nice to mix all these pieces so that your business dress shirt goes with your hiking shorts."

-- CHRIS ROVZAR