Kit & Ace
Brand Refresh, Consumer Evolution & Product Strategy
Context
Kit & Ace had strong brand equity and a clear founding DNA, but the product had not meaningfully evolved in years. Materials had shifted away from the premium fabrics that once defined the brand, silhouettes felt dated, and the assortment leaned too heavily on repeating what had worked in the past. Product direction had become reactive, often borrowing from womenswear rather than being designed intentionally for menswear. The opportunity was to modernize the brand’s point of view while honoring the original identity that made Kit & Ace resonate in the first place.
A professional wardrobe, built on performance principles.
Role & Scope
Work.Shop partnered with the new ownership team to lead a comprehensive brand and product refresh. The engagement focused on redefining the consumer, auditing the existing assortment, and rebuilding the product strategy to bring Kit & Ace back to a modern, relevant expression of technical lifestyle apparel.
Approach
The work began with a full brand and product audit, identifying where the brand had drifted from its original intention and where it needed to evolve. We reframed the consumer, showing how the audience had matured over the past decade and how their expectations of fit, silhouette, and quality had changed. From there, we reset the balance between performance and lifestyle, elevating material choices, refining silhouettes, and creating a clearer point of view that felt current without losing the brand’s foundation.
Deliverables
Updated consumer definition and brand positioning
Assortment and line architecture refresh
Category hierarchy and role clarity
Fabric platforming with a renewed focus on premium materials
Updated silhouette and fit direction
Color direction and seasonal storytelling
Strategic edit of existing product to remove redundancy and dated expression
Impact
The project gave Kit & Ace a refreshed point of view that honored its original DNA while moving the brand forward. It provided clearer product direction, a more cohesive assortment structure, and a stronger balance between performance and lifestyle, creating a foundation for a more modern, relevant, and commercially focused brand expression.