Is Kit + Ace the Next Lululemon?

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Kit + Ace, the latest retail brainchild from the Lululemon founding family, sounds like it's staking its claim on the next era of Lululemon enthusiasts using the exact same thinking that propelled Lululemon into the spotlight (and caused some controversy along the way). According to The New Yorker, Kit + Ace is producing street clothes with the performance level of athleticwear. It's helmed by Lululemon founder Chip Wilson's wife and 26-year-old son and the name embodies two fictitious muses that live out the Kit + Ace lifestyle. Writer Lizzie Widdicombe describes the New York City store as similar to a typical Lululemon outpost: natural wood interiors, hashtagged inspirational phrases. And, perhaps taking cues from Lululemon's unconventional work environment, Kit + Ace managers are required to foster community:

The Kit and Ace stores vary by location, but each will have one personal touch: an eight-by-eight-foot table, which is the same size table that the Wilsons have in each of their four houses. Managers will be required to throw monthly dinner parties at the stores for the "creative community." Chip pointed to a box of cards on a shelf. The cards are for a game called Real Talk, which the Wilsons invented to spur dinner conversation.

Typical questions included "What's one thing you've done that you've never told your parents?" and "Do you believe in monogamy?" That's one way to start conversations at work.
· The Athleisure Class [The New Yorker]
· Lululemon Founder's Wife Stakes Claim on Next Big Thing: Technical Cashmere [Racked]
· Lulule-men: The Activewear Giant Reveals Its Plan to Woo Dudes [Racked]