Canadian-based luxury retailer, Kit and Ace, announced plans yesterday for its first boutique in St. Louis. The store, which will be located at 304 Euclid (the former home of Ivy Hill Boutique) in the Central West End, is slated to open in late June.
The announcement follows the brands’ new stores in Vancouver, New York, and San Francisco. Nicole Benoist, former style editor of St. Louis Magazine and director of the now-shuttered Collective at the MX, has been tapped to be the store director.
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“I’m thrilled to be working with a brand that takes innovation so seriously,” she explains. “Kit and Ace is disrupting the market with proprietary fabrications that never existed until now—fabrics that are machine-washable, like Technical Cashmere (TM).”
The company, founded by Shannon and JJ Wilson (the wife and son of Chip Wilson, founder of Lululemon) designs and develops contemporary, luxury apparel for men and women made from a technical cashmere called Qemir. Kit and Ace is its own very distinctive brand, however, not to be confused with Lululemon. The brand does feature not activewear, but rather luxury separates that ooze easy sophistication and comfort. The fashions are designed to be worn day into night and fill a much-needed void in luxury wear.
“We are excited to bring St. Louis a beautiful space in which our customers can not only access our clothing, but also come away with a deeper sense of the brand,” says JJ Wilson. “What we offer is far more than apparel—it’s an evolved retail experience.”
Each Kit and Ace store incorporates and supports local design and artistic elements that are central to each city. Local artists, artisans, and designers are often featured, along with iconic photography of the region. The brand is also keen on partnering with local vendors and organizations for in-store events to make this store a truly unique experience to St. Louis.
“The new boutique on Euclid will give locals a chance to experience the Kit and Ace vision of technical, innovative clothing featured in an atypical and unique space”, explains Shannon Wilson. “While we want St. Louisans to feel excited about the clothing that anchors our shops, we want them to walk away inspired by the time they spent with us.”
Kit and Ace is projecting to open 50 new stores worldwide by the end of 2015.
