We were surprised and excited when Ministry (formerly Ministry of Supply) chose DC’s Shaw neighborhood to open their third shop, following their locations in Boston (where the brand is based) and San Francisco. It’s always exciting when DC makes it to the top of the list for a retailer’s targeted locations, but now we’re learning that DC is such a strong market for Ministry’s sweat-stain-resistant, wrinkle-free, machine-washable, basically-pretty-much-indestructible workwear that they’ve already decided to bring open a second DC location, this time in Bethesda.
“The young professionals in DC and Bethesda are some of our best online customers,” says Ministry CEO Aman Advani. “Our DC store (which opened in June) has been a huge success, and we wanted to invest in the area and really build a Ministry Apparel community in the region, which led us to look in Bethesda.”
The store opened Monday, October 24, bringing the tech-enhanced line of workwear to Bethesda’s working families. Though Ministry initially only marketed menswear—including coffee-infused socks to combat odor and 3-D printed jackets—they launched a womenswear line in September, adding silk-like, sweat-wicking blouses and stretchy dress pants to their collection.
The Bethesda store will be the brand’s seventh storefront, following their non-DC stores in Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Boston, but it’s Ministry’s first storefront that’s not in a large city. Advani says that those in more suburban settings—not just yuppies biking to work in downtown DC—can embrace the need for Ministry clothes.
“Bethesda is our first store outside of a major city center. It gives us the opportunity to reach our commuter customers who may have decided to move out of the heart of the city and start families,” says Advani. “As they navigate the balance of work and life and family, the benefits of stretch, wrinkle-resistant dress shirts, and machine washable suits become all more apparent.”
Ministry is now open at 4823 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda.
Caroline Cunningham joined Washingtonian in 2014 after moving to the DC area from Cincinnati, where she interned and freelanced for Cincinnati Magazine and worked in content marketing. She currently resides in College Park.
