Kit and Ace is opening a big store on Bloor
Lululemon relative Kit and Ace is opening its second Toronto location on Bloor West, taking over the sizeable space previously home to United Colours of Benetton. The casual luxury brand (and purveyor of $90 T-shirts) opened its first Toronto store last year on Queen West, and has been expanding ever since. According to Retail Insider, the Vancouver-based company has plans to open no fewer than 15 stores in Canada in the coming months (on top of plenty more around the world). With its supper clubs, concerts and other events held regularly in-store, Kit and Ace is trying to reel in the young creative class. But the new flagship might be in a neighbourhood better suited to the brand—no matter how comfortable, soft or machine-washable its patented qemir fabric (a.k.a. “technical cashmere”) is, well-off Yorkvillers are probably more likely to drop hundreds of dollars on basic tees and tanks than Queen West’s toque-wearing crowd.
Hillarious – this store is basically Lululemon Part II, even down to be run by Chips’ wife and son.
I they learned their lessons well at Lululemon – come up with some gobbledygook about “superior” fabrics coupled with touchy-feely yoga/hippy “mantras for living” nonsense, charge an exorbitant amount for basic sportswear to gullible lumps who ultimately buy it because of how their asses look in the pants, and watch the money roll in. Rinse, lather, repeat.
But hey, I ain’t mad – this idea made Chip and family billionaires. I just wish I’d thought of it :)