Humberto Leon
| Humberto Leon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 7, 1975 Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Labels | Kenzo; Opening Ceremony |
Humberto Leon (born June 7, 1975) is an American fashion designer, retailer and creative director, working in partnership with Carol Lim.
Leon and Lim founded the fashion retailer Opening Ceremony in 2002 in downtown Manhattan. Further stores followed in New York City, Los Angeles and Tokyo. An Opening Ceremony store opened in 2012 in London, coinciding with the Olympics.
In 2011, Lim and Leon were announced as creative directors of the French high fashion brand Kenzo, which was founded in 1970 and is part of the LVMH luxury goods conglomerate.
Born to a Peruvian father and Chinese mother, Humberto Leon grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles as the youngest in a tight-knit Asian family. His mother was a seamstress.
In 1993, during his sophomore year, Humberto Leon met Carol Lim at University of California, Berkeley after being introduced by a mutual friend. He studied psychology and art. Upon graduation, Leon transitioned into a decade of work within the corporate sphere, serving as design director at American clothing retailer Gap and later Burberry, during the start of its renaissance under Rose Marie Bravo.
In early 2001, at age 25, Lim and Leon went on a two-week trip to Hong Kong. There, they were inspired to open a store in the United States upon their return. Its concept was to bring brands such as Havaianas and Topshop to the United States and to feature emerging American fashion brands such as Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, and Rodarte. After considering various names (including Airport and Terminal), the two founders finally settled upon Opening Ceremony. Leon and Lim went to the New York State Small Business Development Center at SUNY for assistance in refining their business plan and obtaining a business loan, and each contributed $5,000 of their own money towards Opening Ceremony.
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