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Opening Ceremony and Google “Unite” With Phone Case Designs

02.01.17 | By
Opening Ceremony and Google “Unite” With Phone Case Designs

New York-based Opening Ceremony is leveraging their cred to plant a flag of protest, opting to skip the usual runway pageantry to unveil their new Spring 2017 collection in a more inspired and artistic fashion: The Times Are Racing, a New York Ballet production choreographed by Justin Peck, with music composed by electronic musician Dan Deacon as a “meditation on the American melting pot”.

Costumes worn by dancers onstage were designed by Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony, several emblazoned with provocative and politically-charged single word slogans that harken back to the AIDS-era art activism of Keith Haring, Barbara Kruger, and Robert Mapplethorpe.

Drawing on 19th-century photographs of Ellis Island, where individuals from diverse backgrounds crossed paths, the Spring 2017 collection is a meditation on the American melting pot. Lace and satin brush against Americana denim. Loose silhouettes ideal for long journeys get a luxe upgrade with macramé fringe and embroidery.

In addition, the Opening Ceremony Spring 2017 Collection is further represented in a series of limited edition, customizable phone cases for Pixel and Nexus, the latest in Google’s Artworks Live Case program. Of the eight cases unveiled, six are emblazoned with storybook prints from the Opening Ceremony ready-to-wear collection, with two additional patterns imprinted with the fashion brand’s openly political Action Capsule designs covered with calls to “unite,” “protest,” “defy,” “change,” and “act”. All eight designs include a live wallpaper of rotating OC prints and a customizable shortcut button to instantly launch a favorite app or the Opening Ceremony website.

The Spring 2017 Collection’s storybook theme draws from Wizard of Oz illustrator, W.W. Denslow’s menagerie of fantasy lands, decorating the Opening Ceremony collection of cowl-neck dresses, kimono jackets, and mesh tops with an idyllic and soft palette, a strong contrast to the Barbara Kruger-esque messaging of the socially conscious Action Capsule styled editions.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.