theaustralian.com.au/life | 07
JJ Wilson, co-creator of Kit and Ace; the label makes basics, right and left, from a luxurious fabric that mimics cashmere; a Kit and Ace store in Canada
Leases can range from three to five years to as little as a few months for a pop-up, which JJ says is an “opportunity to build the brand a little bit without jumping two feet in with a really big full flagship right away”. While entering global markets with an unknown product so rapidly is a risk, he is confident. “Shannon and I opened Gastown [Vancouver] with a few T-shirts. It was hot one day and we just wanted to get people’s feedback on the fabric and styles. This led into a small production run that led into five stores across Canada and North America. It just spiralled. We started receiving incredible real estate opportunities. People were responding to the product so positively that we said, ‘If we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right.’ And we have experience in it so we actually know. Our background in retail and technical apparel lends itself to what we’re doing.” Financed by $7 million of family money, JJ says that although his father is not involved in the company on a day-to-day basis, when it comes to management and operations it would be a “missed opportunity for us not to use his knowledge … no, we’re not affiliated but he is a mentor to Shannon and I.” However, there have been whispers of something more concrete since Chip resigned from the Lululemon board in February. “By stepping away from Lululemon I will now have more opportunity to work with my wife and son as they grow their new business, Kit and Ace,” Chip said in February. “I am so excited for Kit and Ace because it is where street clothing is going.”
characterised by handles that double as pouring spouts. I loved the way light transformed the colours of the translucent glass into soft, watercolour-like hues. As I cut a head of broccoli, tossing florets into the turquoise bowl — a pattern known as Butterprint — it felt as if I were cooking in a quaint country cottage. Within weeks I was scouring eBay and Etsy listings for vintage mixing bowls, coffee pots, casserole dishes — and started keeping a list of my personal favourites: Spring Blossom Green, a simple illustration of flowers on avocado green; Friendship, a red-and-orange design of highly stylised birds; Daisy, an exuberant yellow and orange floral; and Early American, recognisable for its ochre-coloured images of colonial-era tools and soaring eagles. I also quickly discovered that, as all things midcentury have grown increasingly trendy, vintage opal Pyrex has exploded in popularity. Complete sets that are still in their boxes can run in
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Italian cashmere makers thought we were crazy. They thought we were trying to modify something that was already seemingly perfect JJ WILSON
JJ says he does draw on the business “learnings” of Lululemon. “When I compare my business model to theirs I always say we are bringing the best of what we did there forward into our new business. Because that’s what good business people do. And Lululemon was extremely successful. But it is a completely different model ...” There are, however, obvious parallels with Lululemon’s controversial company culture, which has come under scrutiny for its self-actualisation manifestos and affiliation with personal development organisation Landmark Forum. Both have strong onbrand motivational messaging peppered with words such as integrity, connection and “authentic relationships”. Where Lululemon calls its retail staff Educators, Kit and Ace has Shop Directors with requirements that include “living and designing a life that is uniquely your own via goal setting”. Both are strongly rooted in proprietary fabric innovation; Lululemon with Luon™, Kit and Ace with Qemir™.
Spot the unintended baby in Pyrex’s 1960 design Fruit Salad, above; Horizon Blue, far left, was released in 1969 to celebrate the moon landing
Some company staff have crossed over and Lululemon has Showrooms the same way that Kit and Ace has Studios. Instead of having yoga classes, Kit and Ace hosts invitation-only Supper Clubs, and Kit and Ace’s Creative Class echoes Lululemon’s local Ambassadors. The Creative Class is a “hyper-local” concept in which 30 per cent of each store is custom designed by local designers, furniture makers and architects. This is complimented by The Wall — an exhibition space featuring the work of “native” artists. It’s a clever, dedicated way of fostering intimacy within the increasingly homogenised fashion industry. JJ says this was born from a fear that with the fast pace of expansion, stores would start to feel cookiecutter. “I wanted our stores to look and feel unique to individual markets and neighbourhoods. It’s more about being a venue for connection and communication.” Word from the company is that they are making “more than just perfect T-shirts — we are developing leaders of tomorrow”. Kit and Ace’s target market comprises active, educated 20 to 30-something creatives, attractive, perhaps with an artsy blog or a first child and who know “time is precious”. The company’s Instagram features the likes of Hannah sipping a latte in her Brighton Tee, hipster umbrella-maker Scott in his Layer Mayne Tee, and Clinton, co-owner of a boutique sausage and beer parlour, being honoured as a “dad who does it all”. All of them, of course, fully kitted out.
the hundreds of dollars, and rare pieces — a hard-to-find pattern such as Lucky in Love, featuring clover and hearts on a white background — have sold for more than $US1600 ($2175) on eBay. On the other hand, common patterns, such as my Butterprint designs, can often be had for just a few dollars. I had paid $US22 for three bowls in good condition, a luckily smart investment for someone as ill-informed as I was. The variation in pricing can be maddening. Michael D. Barber, author of Pyrex Passion: The Comprehensive Guide to Decorated Vintage Pyrex, owns nearly every opal Pyrex product produced, a collection he amassed over 10 years. He remembers spending years searching for a gold-and-black striped pattern informally called Musical Staff. Shortly after buying a
set online for “an outrageous price”, he found it priced at $US26 in a thrift store. As with other midcentury collectables, nostalgia is the primary appeal. Barber’s fascination started when his mother handed down a blue bowl from her Primary Colors series. Alabama-based cookbook author Christy Jordan prefers standard patterns from the 60s and 70s that remind her of the dishes she grew up with. “When I got married, I wanted to make banana pudding for the first time, so I got an avocado green Cinderella bowl, because that’s what my mamma always made it in,” she says. Not all of the patterns may be worth collecting, though. A 1960 release nicknamed Fruit Salad is disturbingly anthropomorphic, says Jordan. It features “a pear covered by a leaf in a way that makes it look like a baby”, she says. “Once you see it, you can’t un-see it.” THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
AUGUST 8-9, 2015
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LIFE
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