Chip and Shannon. Image: Wikipedia Commons
He still owns 13.85% of the company but Vancouver, and more specifically Kitsilano, bigshot Chip Wilson has left the board at Lululemon. After the heinous public gaffes concerning women’s bodies and some other rather tedious corporate drama, Wilson is out. The last straw, as it turns out, concerns a product he refers to as Technical Cashmere, the brainchild of Wilson’s wife (former Lululemon designer) Shannon. Wilson tried to introduce it to Lululemon unsuccessfully. Instead, Shannon and Wilson’s son J.J. are using the fabric as the core textile for their new label: contemporary luxury brand Kit and Ace. At the moment, Kit and Ace has seven stores in Canada and New York.
The name Kit and Ace has an embarrassing backstory we’d like to share. Because it made us chuckle. According to the NYTimes:
“At Kit and Ace, the clothes are also designed for two muses: Kit, a 29-year-old single woman who, Shannon told me, “is looking to buy her first apartment, but is still renting. She works in the creative area, like in graphic design or fashion, and loves to bike on weekends”; and Ace, a 32-year-old similarly groovy guy, who drinks strong coffee, “likes to go to breweries and hangs out with his friends. He does CrossFit once a week and spins three times a week, loves brunch on the weekends.” It all sounds a bit like a profile on OkCupid — or like a younger Lululemon.”
We’re not saying Kit and Ace will fail. We’re pretty sure there are Kits and Aces out there who want to buy $98 machine-washable cashmere t-shirts. And they probably name their kids Chip. Or Max.
Last modified: February 5, 2015
