Kit and Ace is taking its brand on the road in an effort to engage with locals and tell its story.
The Vancouver-based retailer is touring parts of the U.S. and Canada in a custom, copper-clad Airstream trailer dubbed The Copper Studio.
“The idea is around [building] awareness and really giving people a first-hand look at what Kit and Ace is, and being able to share the brand story on the road,” said J.J. Wilson, who co-founded the company with Shannon Wilson. (The co-founders are the son and wife, respectively, of Lululemon founder Chip Wilson.)
The “Grand Tour” kicked off at the Coachella music festival in Palm Springs, Cali. this past April. It made 10 other stops in the Western U.S. before heading to New York.
Now on the Canadian leg of the tour, The Copper Studio has already landed in Montreal and Ontario, and is making six stops in Toronto.
The Copper Studio was designed to replicate the look and feel of Kit and Ace shops, including custom ash flooring and a painted copper-finish exterior. It showcases the store’s “technical cashmere” clothing for men and women, made with machine-washable cashmere and a blend of other fibers.
Customers can’t purchase items from the Airstream, but they’re encouraged to browse and feel the products. “[Technical cashmere] is so soft, and part of [customers’] experience with the brand is really touching the fabric and seeing some of the styles,” said Wilson.
Aside from engaging with consumers, Kit and Ace is using the Grand Tour as an opportunity to connect with members of the “creative class” the brand has worked with. Each Kit and Ace location incorporates elements such as lighting and decor from local designers, as well as art from local artists.
“One of my biggest fears is that, as we were growing so many stores so quickly, our shops were going to look and feel the same,” said Wilson. “We’re very strategic about our real estate choices and we look for areas that have the creative class living in the neighbourhood.”
At each stop, Kit and Ace hosts a supper club with the locals it has worked with. And in locations where Kit and Ace doesn’t have a retail presence, it’s inviting potential collaborators.
In new markets, “we’re talking to people and getting to know whether Kit and Ace is going to be a good fit for the location or the city itself,” said Wilson.
The Grand Tour is being chronicled online with notes and photographs from the road.
Kit and Ace plans to do a tour of Western Canada, possibly next summer, as well as Australia, where it has stores in Sydney and Melbourne.
