'Technical Cashmere' Store Coming To Bethesda Row

A clothing store from the family behind Lululemon is coming to Bethesda Row. Kit and Ace, the company launched last year by Lululemon founder Chip Wilson's wife Shannon and his son J.J., offers shirts, pullovers and accessories for women and men made out of what it calls "technical cashmere." The material is a blend of luxury fabrics called qemir. A spokesperson for Kit and Ace said the store will open on the Bethesda Avenue section of Bethesda Row on Nov. 5. According to leasing information from property owner Federal Realty, it appears the store will fit in to the 3,700-square-foot spot at 4838 Bethesda Avenue, the former home of the Assagi Mozzarella Bar. Kit and Ace's first store opened nine months ago in Vancouver. Seven more stores have opened across the U.S. and Canada since. "Bethesda exudes the dynamic atmosphere we seek when choosing our retail locations," Shannon Wilson said, according to a press release. "We are excited for this newest shop to live as an extension of the creative culture that surrounds it." Shannon and J.J. Wilson came up with the Kit and Ace idea "during their time spent traveling abroad and living internationally," according to the company's website. "After spending years dressed head to toe in stretchy performance wear, they were looking for clothing that offered the same functionality but that met their desire for sophistication, style and luxury," reads the website. "Since they couldn't find what they were looking for, they created it." It will be the latest in a new wave of Bethesda Row tenants. Williams-Sonoma is taking over the spaces that used to belong to restaurants Parker's (4824 Bethesda Avenue) and next-door Tara Thai (4828 Bethesda Avenue).   Sabun Home, a Georgetown-based bed, bath and living accessory design store, is taking over a newly built retail space on Bethesda Lane next month. Jewelry shop Kendra Scott hopes to open in July at 4835 Bethesda Avenue. Photo via Kit and Ace