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What Carol Lim and Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony Can’t Live Without

If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair, but the hand sanitizer and the electric toothbrush. We asked Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, co-founders of now-15-year-old Opening Ceremony and creative directors of Kenzo, which items they can’t live without.

Zojirushi Mug
$36

“I’m a fan of hydrating throughout the day and I’ve gone through a lot of different water bottles. This one’s amazing because if you use it for a cold beverage or a hot one, it stays that temperature for 24 hours. [Editor’s note: we’ve written about this before.] I’ve left it and come back four hours later and still had hot tea. Other people in my office see me carry it around. If I leave it anywhere, I call my co-workers and ask where it is. I typically drink green tea and lately iced coffee or iced water out of it.”

“I travel all the time, and whether you’re in an office with air-conditioning or heat, I hate feeling dry, so this thing is a lifesaver. It’s not unheard of for me to be in a meeting and pull this out and spray it on my face. It’s all made in Japan and the philosophy is rooted in how geishas have historically taken care of their skin. It’s such a nourishing spray.”

“I have this in both the black and the mint. For bedside reading, it’s the best. It’s very simple and clean, and I love the powder-colored metal. It’s functional too. I find a lot of things that my kids will have put in the cup. There are food bits and trash and toys in there, but generally it’s good things.”

“I love running. It’s the one thing I try to do every day, even if it’s just 15 to 20 minutes, just to clear my head. I’ve gone through a lot of running shoes, and these give you good support and a good strike when you hit the ground. If you like, you can even get them customized, too.”

“I discovered this because our daughters have eczema and it’s just an incredible healing balm for anything. It’s like a Chapstick or a really good moisturizer. It dries without being oily, seals everything in, and makes anything rough immediately soft.”

“We started working on this jacket about a year and a half ago, and it’s kind of the perfect jacket to leave in your car. It’s basically turned into a kind of cardigan that I throw on top of anything: sporty but nice enough to wear to dinner. I played a lot of sports in high school, and this reminded me of that second-layer jacket we’d wear for tennis. It has the functionality of that, but with added flair.”

“Andrew Kuo is a good friend of ours and we’ve collaborated for the last 15 years — he’s an incredible artist and his work has intelligence and wit and humor and everything rolled into one.”

The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include favorite shopping items from RuPaul, Carole Radziwill, Plum Sykes, Casey Wilson, Joanna Goddard, Aubrey Plaza, and Linda Rodin. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

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What the Co-founders of Opening Ceremony Can’t Live Without