BCBusiness

(above) courtesy of kit aND ace; (below) istock technolo¨y. We don't see this in retail." Then again, most don't have a billionaire backer with, as Gray puts it, an ego ("but that ego's also a good thing"). So, who's buying? Bruce Philp, a Toronto-based brand consultant, says the new genera- tion of wealth is not big on cars, fashion—anything that makes it look like you're trying too hard. "When I was young, we got our guidance from rock stars," says Philp. "Now we get it from Silicon Valley. Inconspicuous consumption." The "techni- cal" aspect of Kit and Ace—with cashmere-infused fabrics both comfortable and form-˜tting— validates the high price point for the Silicon Valley crowd, adds Philp: "You don't want to look as if you're wasting money. But at the same time, humans can't get along without statements." To make sure that statement is heard, Kit and Ace needs to befriend inuencers and make sure the right people are wearing the clothes at, say, Austin's trend-set- ting media festival, South by Southwest (they'll be there, con˜rms JJ). The key, says Philp, is to "attach your brand to a lifestyle that's aspirational that few people live but most people are aware of." As for these model citizens— Kit and her partner, Ace—JJ says he sees them living the sort of lives he and his stepmom do. "I describe that as 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., full-on, every day. We're working out, we're working, we're run- ning businesses, we're growing teams, we're building stores—just trying to ˜t everything in." LNG's Power Play N u m e r o l o g y by Melissa Edwards That's what BC Hydro will charge the proposed Wood˜bre LNG terminal near Squamish for each of the expected 1.3 million megawatts it will use annually to run its lique- faction plant—the highest rate in the province and 53% more than the average industrial user. As 3,400 proponents meet this month for the International LNG in BC Conference in Vancouver, Wood˜bre continues its negotia- tions with the Squamish First Nation and other area residents to get buy-in for the project, which, while comparatively small, is sited smack-dab in the middle of the once-industrial-but-now-tourist-minded Sea-to-Sky Corridor. So far, Wood˜bre is the only of B.C.'s 20 LNG proposals to agree to electric over gas power, a costly decision that Byng Giraud, VP of corporate a£airs for Wood˜bre, says was made solely in response to community concerns over potential emissions. "For companies today, it's not enough to meet regulations," he says. "People expect you to go above and beyond and exceed the requirements." LIKE FATHER... JJ and Chip Wilson at Kit and Ace's Kitsilano launch party october 2015 BCBusiness 21 $83.20 chip WiLson's net Worth: US$2.1 billion 19th-richest persoN iN caNaDa, 847th iN the worlD source: forbes's "the worlD's billioNaires" (2015) 2,933,000,000,000,000 provincial government estimate, in cubic feet, of natural gas reserves in b.c. 2,100,000 Annual metric tonnes of LNG Woodbre is licensed to export if and when it begins operation. $1,000,000,000,000 amount the provincial government says five lNg plants would contribute to the province's gDp over 30 years

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