Jake Eastwood endured a nightmare Kilmarnock debut as a Martin Boyle double gave Hibs victory at Easter Road.
The on-loan goalkeeper was at fault as the hosts opened the scoring after just five minutes, rushing off his line for an attempted interception.
Boyle grabbed his second of the afternoon to double the lead for Jack Ross ' men, but Chris Burke reduced the arrears with a sensational free-kick.
Eastwood, who only arrived on loan from Sheffield United on Thursday, was then withdrawn at the break and replaced by fellow recent arrival Danny Rogers.
And while Rogers claimed a personal shut-out, Killie were unable to rescue a point on their Premiership return.
Hibs boss Jack Ross handed debuts to summer signings Drey Wright, Alex Gogic and £250,000 marksman Kevin Nisbet.
However, the inclusion of 18-year-old Josh Doig was the major shock in his starting line-up, with the teenager rewarded for a string of fine displays during pre-season.
Aaron Tshibola, meanwhile, was the only other summer signing in the Killie starting line-up, along with Eastwood.
Both sides took a knee prior to kick-off in support of the Black Lives Matter movement - before the action started against a backdrop of piped-in crowd noise.
And Hibs, seeking their fifth successive opening day league triumph, took just five minutes to claim the lead.
Nisbet slipped a through ball to Boyle and the speedy striker rounded the on-rushing Eastwood, who was never going to win that foot race, before coolly slotting home.
The hosts were in control and deservedly doubled their lead when Boyle collected a Scott Allan pass before haring into the box and finding the bottom corner with a clinical low drive.
Killie were handed a lifeline in the most spectacular fashion when Burke unleashed a blockbuster free-kick from 30 yards which whistled past Ofir Marciano to halve the arrears.
Rogers replaced Eastwood at the break - but it was Marciano at the other end who caught the eye.
The Israel international pulled off a magnificent low save to keep Hibs' lead intact after the break, reacting superbly when Paul Hanlon directed a Greg Kiltie cross towards the corner of his own net.
The Ayrshire outfit threw bodies forward in the closing stages in search of parity but a Danny Whitehall header which cleared the crossbar was as close as they came.
