Food & Drink

Kit and Ace Brings its Luxe Apparel to Capitol Hill

The Canadian brand’s celebrated technical knitwear is now in Seattle

By Jennifer McCullum August 24, 2015

In an age where athleisure has made its way from locker room wear into everyday wardrobes, Shannon and JJ Wilson are reversing this fashionable formula for the better with their luxury apparel line: Kit and Ace.

“We wanted to take everything we know about technical fabrications and athletic apparel and apply those things to natural, luxury fabrications in fashion,” JJ Wilson says. The Wilsons know something about apparel endurance: Shannon is married to JJ’s father, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, and brings more than 15 years of experience to developing technical fabrics.

Less than a year old, the line of men and women’s ready-to-wear features stylish essentials, including long sleeve tees, tanks and signature knits all with the technical properties that Kit and Ace have become synonymous with. “As opposed to taking athletic apparel and trying to make it street, we looked at everything that we loved about fashion, things that we wanted to wear, and how we could add technical properties to them,” JJ Wilson says “ [Elements] like stretch and machine washability [make these articles of clothing items] we can wear all day, not have to take to the dry cleaner, and know that they’re not going to fall apart.” While the brand is still considered to be in beta, Kit and Ace has enveloped the U.S. in its cozy cashmere (which, yes, does not need to be dry cleaned either) with the launch of 18 stores in the last 10 months, including its new Capitol Hill location.


The new Kit and Ace store on Captiol Hill was a flurry of activity during its grand opening event

With each store designed to reflect its local environment, the Pike Street location offers a gallery wall that will rotate regional artists’ work. Kit and Ace’s signature “supper-club” table also holds center court in-store, with the hopes of hosting salons style dinner with local artists, influencers and style arbiters.

“My intention is to not lose the effortless, luxury vibe of what we’ve created and I want that to be translated into how people experience the shops,” JJ Wilson says. Capitol Hill, Kit and Ace, 1123 Pike Street; kitandace.com

 

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