The Capital Times, WI
Lynn Welch — 6/05/2014 12:22 pm
New boutique owner Kristin Wild hopes to bring something special to Madison’s Capitol Square with her new clothing boutique, Atticus
“There has been a successful rejuvenation of housing, business and culture on the Square for a few years now,” Wild said. “I think that retail is sort of the last piece of the puzzle that needs to be added, and I’m very excited to be a part of that.”
That’s why, at 24, she leapt at the chance to open her own store in the heart of the city.
“I think it’s one of my favorite places in Madison,” Wild said. “It’s accessible to the university, and I like being in the middle of all the events downtown.”
Atticus (www.atticusshop.com) — which specializes in up-and-coming designer apparel, accessories and apothecary products for women and men — opened in May at 18 N. Carroll St., a space that was formerly part of Shakespeare’s Books. That store will reopen soon at 668 State St. as Browsers Books.
Wild, a 2014 UW-Madison graduate who worked one year as a buyer for Twigs on Monroe Street, said her shop offers designer clothing distinctive to this market from New York and Los Angeles. Prices range from $30 to $350. Styles currently in the store are casual.
The eye-catching displays in Atticus’ two large storefront windows are designed by Wild’s sister, Stephani Wild, a business student at Edgewood College. Currently, the windows have a “night and day” theme, with outfits to match. Fashions by Gara Danielle, Kerrigan, Acne Jeans, LNA, Simon Miller, Jessica Kagan Cushman and Loomstate are featured.
On one recent sunny spring day, window peepers stopped to take a look.
“This happens all the time,” said Wild, “especially during the (Dane County) Farmers’ Market.”
The store design also features hand-lettered words on walls, above door frames and around mirror wells. Slogans like “Confidence doesn’t call for explanation” and “One body, one planet, waste not, want not” embody the Atticus philosophy, Wild said.
About a third of the store’s goods are eco-friendly in some fashion, she said, reflecting consumers’ growing taste for organic, sustainable and Fair Trade threads. Green leafs on product tags distinguish eco threads from other designs throughout the store.
One example of a trendy green product at Atticus is the Beau Soleil canvas bag by Beau Soleil (www.shopbeausoleil.com). Atticus also carries goods by Loomstate (www.loomstate.org), a casual designer clothing line in New York that uses certified organic cotton.
And while they aren’t “green” jeans, Simon Miller is among the designers Atticus carries with a social justice focus. Based in Los Angeles, Simon Miller donates $10 from each sale of the Los Angeles jean (priced at $187) to homeless people living in L.A.
Wild’s shop is part of a trend toward eco-friendly apparel. Retailers from boutiques to chains seek to identify themselves as green. According to a recent report by market research firm Packaged Facts, Wal-Mart is the biggest buyer of certified organic cotton, but many emerging designers are using it, too.
The report estimates that the market for green apparel will grow from $3.05 billion in 2014 to $4.18 billion this year.
Lynn Welch — 6/05/2014 12:22 pm
