New Orleans has a new luxury athleisure brand to shop this season. Kit and Ace has just opened a new 2,000-square-foot branded store on Magazine Street. The location, their 34th since the brand launched in 2014, embraced its NOLA neighborhood by hiring local artists to help design and decorate the outlet. Interiors murals and artwork were designed by Milagros, photography was shot by Andrew R. Simoneaux and lights and furniture by Matthew Holdren. The new shop will even host local events and monthly supper clubs for the neighborhood.
Kit and Ace was founded last year by Shannon and J.J. Wilson, veterans in the athleisure industry—the mother and son duo are the wife and child of Lululemon founder Chip Wilson. After 15 years as a designer for the sports brand, Shannon decided to branch out to find her own niche of athleisure. The collection embraces a minimalist palette with neutral shades and traditional silhouettes, with line staples that include pieces like joggers, turtlenecks and dresses in luxury fabric blends. So far the label has been largely successful due to their ability to embrace both high-end attributes like cashmere and combine them with the comfort of yoga pants.
“We design our clothing for the creative class—people like artists, architects and other creatives who are driven by the impact they have on the world around them,” J.J. Wilson told Gambit. “Rather than making regular clothes more athletic, we’re going against the trend by taking moveable attributes and applying them to daywear.”
