Los Angeles athleisure brand Set, popular among Gen Z and millennials, is opening its first Midwest outpost on Friday in the West Loop.
The store’s opening celebration will feature a hat and patch bar and the first 100 customers will receive custom Lands’ End totebags with Garrett Popcorn.
The business, at 946 W. Randolph St., joins a sea of retailers and restaurants putting down roots in the thriving neighborhood.
Set was founded in 2018 by Lindsey Carter for the fashion-focused “girl on the go” and it was “fully self-funded, just with a lot of credit card debt and big hopes and dreams,” Set Chief of Staff Gina Sheldon said.
She said growth has been explosive for the brand.
“Set has done tremendously well as a [direct-to-consumer] brand, and I think just a natural evolution is to grow to be a little bit more omnichannel,” Sheldon said. “Set has always been a community-driven brand and part of that for us means meeting our community where they’re at.”
The company’s first brick-and-mortar store opened in LA in 2022. Its New York store followed soon after, with Chicago becoming its third store.
“When we look at expansion, we look at where is our girl, where does she live and where does she work and where does she go out,” Sheldon said. “And Chicago just made so much sense for us.”
It also marks a shift in its retail strategy. The West Loop store is designed to feel like a Midwest lake house with a “lived in living room” and nods to Chicago’s sports teams.
The dressing room, in the back of the 1,138-square-foot store, will also have space for visitors to relax on a couch, with complimentary drinks, TV and a hook-and-ring toss game.
Set will also sell Chicago-specific merchandise, including sweatshirts, sweatpants and hats. And the items are only available at the West Loop store, Sheldon said.
“Rather than think about it from almost a brand-centric view, we wanted to think of it from a customer-centric view of how do we make this store feel distinctly like our Chicago customer. We want her to walk in and immediately feel seen and understood,” she said.
The West Loop, which includes Fulton Market, has been booming, as more retailers open in the area. Reformation expanded its Chicago presence with a Fulton Market store, and fashion designer Rick Owens announced plans earlier this year to open a flagship store in Fulton Market.
Fulton Market was the second most frequented Chicago retail corridor last year, according to data from JLL. Michigan Avenue ranked No. 1.
Fulton Market also saw a 4.1% increase year-over-year in foot traffic, the highest yearly increase for the city’s top seven frequented retail corridors, JLL said.
And businesses have flocked to the West Loop more than other areas in Chicago over the last five years, according to city data.
From 2020 to 2025, the West Loop ranked third in number of issued Limited Business Licenses, which retail stores selling general merchandise are required to have, city data shows. The Loop and New City ranked first and second, respectively.