CAREER & MONEY
ENTREPRENEUR SPOTLIGHT
SHANNON WILSON
Kit and Ace
Shannon Wilson is the co-founder of Kit and Ace, a technical
cashmere brand she launched with her son JJ Wilson. They are
the wife and son of Lululemon Athletica founder Dennis “Chip”
Wilson. The first retail location will open June 26 at 304 Euclid
in the Central West End, and will feature the company’s line of
proprietary fabric called Qemir (pronounced “Come-here”), a
cashmere-blended fabric designed by Shannon.
More About Me
Work keeps me busy, but family is the most important aspect
of my life. My husband and kids keep me inspired, and we
make it a priority that the family carves out time to simply have
fun together. Family bike rides once a week is a must. I’ve been
a fashion designer for a large part of my life, and my newest
venture is Kit and Ace, a joint project between JJ and myself.
Inspiration behind Kit and Ace
I spent two years developing and perfecting our proprietary
fabric, Qemir, recognizing there was a void in luxury apparel
for clothing that was as functional as it was beautiful. Technical
Cashmere is the first fabric offering from this family – taking
everything we love about cashmere and enhancing it with
properties that allow it to keep its shape, remain durable and
best of all, it’s machine washable.
Knowing we had created a product that was unique and
innovative motivated us to open our first T-shirt shop in
Vancouver, British Columbia, and we’ve been in beta over the
last nine months, launching seven studios (pop-up type spaces)
across Canada and the United States.
What ‘LUXURY’ means to your brand
JJ and I really wanted to create a brand that offered what our
lifestyle demanded. Like a lot of people, we are constantly on
the go and are always on the lookout for garments and fabric
that suit our “full contact lifestyle.” That’s what Kit and Ace
is all about; offering luxury clothing that moves with you
throughout the day to seamlessly transition from the office to
the social scene. Luxury is having more time to do the things
that matter to you.
Working with Family
JJ and I have always had a great working relationship. JJ brings
an element of creativity to the brand that drives us to push our
boundaries. Being family means we already have a relationship,
and we know how to interact, when to give each other some
space, and have the ability to recognize each other’s strengths.
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What Differentiates Our Brand
Kit and Ace caters to a new consumer market and introduces
a brand new fabric to the existing fashion landscape. Our
innovative fabrics allow all of our items to be machine washed
and dried while still retaining the luxurious feel of cashmere.
My hobbies
I enjoy working out – it’s a daily must do on my list. It keeps
my mind clear and body healthy. Whenever time allows, I do
a morning class at Ride Cycle Club (offering an intense indoor
cycling workout) or go for a swim. It’s such a great start to a
busy day ahead.
T learn more about Kit and Ace, visit kitandace.com.
o
GAZELLE STL