Joe Mimran

Last updated

Joe Mimran
Born
Joseph Mimran

(1952-12-02) 2 December 1952 (age 70)
Casablanca, Casablanca-Settat, Morocco
NationalityCanadian
Moroccan
Alma mater University of Windsor
York University
OccupationFashion designer
Known for Joe Fresh
Club Monaco
Tevrow + Chase
Spouse(s)Sharon Mimran (divorced)
Kimberly Newport
​
(m. 2000)​
Children4

Joseph Mimran (born 2 December 1952) is a Canadian fashion designer and entrepreneur, best known for founding the Club Monaco and Joe Fresh brands. [1] He was also an investor on the Dragons' Den television series. [2]

Contents

Early life

Mimran was born in Casablanca, Morocco, to Eli and Esther Mimran, who are both Jewish. [3] In 1957, the family, including Joe and brother Saul, moved to Canada and settled in Forest Hill, Toronto. [3]

Esther Mimran, Joseph’s mother, was a couturier in Morocco and introduced him to design at an early age. Esther dressed her family in made-to-measure suits inspired by Hollywood's leading men (including a houndstooth suit Mimran had seen Sean Connery wear in a James Bond film at the age of 12). [3] She also ran a small business outfitting Toronto socialites from her home studio.

Mimran's first job was to deliver groceries from his father's grocery store to neighbourhood residents but his interest in design took him to the sales floor of a small knitting mill where he explored the process of negotiation. At the age of 18, Mimran opened a small art gallery [3] while completing his Bachelor of Arts degree at York University, where he majored in sociology and fine art.[ citation needed ] In 1975, he attended the University of Windsor, where he completed a B.Com. degree. [4] He later earned his CPA. [3] After graduation he worked as an accountant. [3]

Career

First businesses

In 1976, Mimran's brother Saul purchased a small factory in the heart of Toronto's garment district to expand the family-run dressmaking business so they could produce Esther's designs on a larger scale. Mimran left his accounting job nine months later and joined the business to head up operations, manufacturing and finance. The dress-making business became Ms. Originals, specializing in women's separates including suits and pants. Mimran had quickly realized that there was a new demand for tailored work wear for women, and catching on to the right trend at the right time led to the company's success.

Mimran became increasingly interested in the business of design and branding. In 1979 he set out, with brother Saul, to develop a new line with a more modern aesthetic. They hired Alfred Sung, a Canadian designer whose line, Moon, had caught their eye to design this new endeavour.[ citation needed ] In 1981, they launched Alfred Sung. The Alfred Sung collection quickly took off as the trio opened stores across North America. In 1983 a Maclean's magazine cover story declared Alfred Sung "The New King of Fashion." In the early ‘90s the Alfred Sung name was licensed to Etac and they introduced several new product lines including fragrance, eyewear, jewellery, homeware, bridal wear and menswear. After Etac filed for bankruptcy, the line faltered for a few years (though kept a strong foothold in the fragrance marketplace) before being revived along with Moon, in collaboration with The Bay in the mid-00s. By this time Mimran had left the Mimran Group to focus on a new business, Club Monaco.[ citation needed ]

Club Monaco

By the mid-1980s, Mimran had developed a new business idea and felt ready to take the lead on design. Unable to find a plain, white cotton shirt [3] he decided to make one. Club Monaco, by the newly formed Monaco Group, was developed as a line of minimalist basics. Mimran led this new brand, while Saul focused on the Alfred Sung business.

When The Bay and Eaton's department stores both passed on the collection, partly because they did not understand the minimal, unisex design, Mimran decided to open his own shop. A space was selected on Queen St W. in Toronto, where Club Monaco sold everything from coats to underwear in one 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) space. A teaser campaign preceded the store opening and there was a line up to get into the store on opening day in September 1985.

In 1986 the company went public, then private again in 1989 with Dylex as a partner. A flagship store opened in New York City on Fifth Avenue in 1995 which remains today. [5] The brand cut back its growth for a short period during the recession in the 1990s and focused its colour palette to neutrals including black and white. The concept, which saved on cost, led to the surprising revitalization of the label.

In 1999 Mimran created Caban, a lifestyle store based on the clean Club Monaco aesthetic. In 1996 the company went public once again. By 1999, Club Monaco had 125 stores worldwide including Canada, the United States, Japan and South Korea. That same year, the Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. purchased both Club Monaco and Caban. [5] Mimran stayed on as president and CEO to see the company through the transition but left shortly after to focus on other projects.. [5]

Joseph Mimran & Associates

After leaving Club Monaco, Mimran began to invest in emerging businesses. He re-opened his design consulting firm, Joseph Mimran & Associates.

With his wife Kimberley Newport-Mimran as lead-designer, Mimran launched Pink Tartan in 2002. The women's ready-to-wear collection is sold at upscale department stores such as Holt Renfrew and Saks Fifth Avenue and through their own flagship store in Toronto's Yorkville area.

In 2006, he collaborated with friend Paul Sinclaire (formally of Club Monaco and Vogue) on a clothing collection called Tevrow + Chase. [6]

Mimran began designing the President's Choice Home collection for Loblaw Companies Limited in 2002. The Weston family, who own Loblaw, also asked him to design a private label collection for another business of theirs, Holt Renfrew. In 2010, Loblaw asked Mimran to consult on all of the non-food, general merchandise sold in their stores. Joseph Mimran & Associates now oversees the design of all apparel, home and entertainment for Loblaw Companies Limited.[ citation needed ]

Joseph Mimran & Associates currently employs a team of 200 who work from three offices in Toronto's Liberty Village.[ citation needed ]

Joe Fresh

In 2004, Mimran was approached to develop a private-label apparel line to sell in Loblaw Companies superstores and supermarkets across Canada. Joe Fresh Style was launched in the spring of 2006. [6]

Brand extensions were quickly added including kids apparel, intimates and sleepwear in 2007, swimwear and sunglasses in 2008, cosmetics and bath in 2009, and nail polish in 2010. The brand also embarked on some special projects including designing the ushers outfits for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics, an apparel partnership with Barbie and re-designing the Scouts Canada uniforms.

With no more room in Loblaw grocery stores, and increasing demand from a fashion-forward customer, Joe Fresh began to open free-standing stores. The first flagship store opened on Granville St in Vancouver in 2010, and a store in New York City was opened in 2011. [5]

In March 2016, Joe Fresh founder and ambassador Joe Mimran retired. Mario Grauso, who was named chief operating officer of Joe Fresh in 2013, took over. [7]

Dip

In July 2018, Mimran worked with Kroger to unify their private-label fashion brands under the Dip label. [8]

Staples partnership

In 2019, Joe created and launched gry mattr [9] with Staples Canada, a collection of home and office accessories that live at the intersection of work and life. His lifelong commitment to beauty and design inspired his objective to bring well designed and affordable products into the hands of the masses. The inaugural gry mattr collection includes blue light glasses and eyewear, office organizers, technology and iPhone accessories, drinkware, stationery, décor. [10] It later included office chairs. [11]

Mimran launched another line of products with Staples, General Supply Goods + Co. [9]

Other

In 2021, Mimran opened an Italian Restaurant, Quadro Ristorante, in Toronto's Little Italy. [12] [13] He partnered with Tony Longo of Centro and INK Entertainment Group to launch the 33,000 square foot space. [13]

Family life

Mimran has three children with interior designer Sharon Mimran; they divorced in 1996. In 2000, Mimran married Kimberley Newport, who was a merchandiser for Club Monaco. The couple has a daughter, Jacqueline Mimran, who was born in 2001.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sears Canada</span> Defunct Canadian department store chain

Sears Canada Inc. was a publicly-traded Canadian company affiliated with the American-based Sears department store chain. In operation from 1952 until January 14, 2018, and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, the company began as Simpsons-Sears—a joint venture between the Canadian Simpsons department store chain and the American Sears chain—which operated a national mail order business and co-branded Simpsons-Sears stores modelled after those of Sears in the U.S. After the Hudson's Bay Company purchased Simpsons in 1978, the joint venture was dismantled and Hudson's Bay sold its shares in the joint venture to Sears; with Sears now fully owning the company, it was renamed Sears Canada Inc. in 1984. In 1999, Sears Canada acquired the remaining assets and locations of the historic Canadian chain Eaton's. From 2014, Sears Holdings owned a 10% share in the company. ESL Investments was the largest shareholder of Sears Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loblaw Companies</span> Canadian retail company

Loblaw Companies Limited is a Canadian retailer encompassing corporate and franchise supermarkets operating under 22 regional and market-segment banners, as well as pharmacies, banking and apparel. Loblaw operates a private label program that includes grocery and household items, clothing, baby products, pharmaceuticals, cellular phones, general merchandise and financial services. Loblaw is the largest Canadian food retailer, and its brands include President's Choice, No Name and Joe Fresh. It is controlled by George Weston Limited, a holding company controlled by the Weston family; Galen G. Weston, is the chair of the Loblaw board of directors, as well as chair of the board of directors and CEO of Canada-based holding company George Weston.

Sobeys Inc. is the second largest supermarket chain in Canada after Loblaw Companies Limited, with over 1,500 stores operating across Canada under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales of more than C$25.1 billion in the fiscal 2019 operating year. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited, a Canadian business conglomerate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galen Weston</span> British-Canadian billionaire businessman (1940–2021)

Willard Gordon Galen Weston was a British-Canadian billionaire businessman and Chairman Emeritus of George Weston Limited, a Canadian food processing and distribution company. Weston and his family, with an estimated net worth of US$8.7 billion, are listed as the third wealthiest in Canada and 178th in the world by Forbes magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President's Choice</span> Private label brand of the Loblaw Companies

President's Choice or PC is a line of grocery products and services offered by the Canada-based Loblaw Companies Ltd.

Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of supermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. Its name is often shortened to Superstore, or, less commonly, RCSS.

Alfred Sung is a Canadian fashion designer and businessman. He is well known for producing apparel, fragrance, accessories and home fashions for women and men. He was born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong. Sung is the brother of late Hong Kong actress Lydia Shum. He is also a founder of Club Monaco, a mid-priced, high-end casual clothing retailer.

No Frills is a Canadian chain of discount supermarkets, owned by Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited. There are over 200 franchise stores located in nine Canadian provinces.

Zehrmart Inc., is a Canadian supermarket chain in southern Ontario. The chain has 43 locations and is a part of Loblaw Companies Limited which purchased the Zehrs chain in the mid-1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FreshCo</span> Canadian discount supermarket chain owned by Empire Company Limited

FreshCo Ltd. is a Canadian chain of deep discount supermarkets owned by Sobeys. It was launched in March 2010. As of April 2019, there were 98 FreshCo stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Club Monaco</span> Casual clothing retailer

Club Monaco is a Canadian-founded luxury casual clothing retailer owned by Regent, L.P. With more than 140 locations worldwide, the retailer has locations in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, South Korea, China, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Turkey, and United Kingdom.

George Weston Limited, often referred to as Weston or Weston's, is a Canadian holding company. Founded by George Weston in 1882, the company today consists of the Choice Properties real estate investment trust and Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada's largest supermarket retailer, in which it maintains a controlling interest. Retail brands include President's Choice, No Name and Joe Fresh. The former Weston Bakeries division, which owned the brands Wonder, Country Harvest, D'Italiano, Ready Bake and Gadoua, was sold off to FGF Brands in 2022. The company is controlled by the Weston family, which owns a majority share in George Weston Limited.

Le Château Inc. is a fashion company, currently owned by Suzy's Inc. The chain was founded in 1959 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and designed, imported, and retailed women's and men's apparel, accessories, and footwear. In 2015, the company generated sales of about CA$237 million. The company operates in 57 Suzy Shier stores, before bankruptcy, they sold directly to customers from 123 retail stores in Canada and 5 in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Thom Browne is an American fashion designer. He is the founder and head of design for Thom Browne, a luxury fashion brand based in New York City. Browne debuted his womenswear collection in 2014.

Ports is an international luxury fashion house founded by Japanese Canadian fashion designer Luke Tanabe (1920–2009) in Toronto in 1961. It specializes in luxury women's and men's ready-to-wear as well as accessories. Acquired by Chinese Canadian brothers Alfred Chan and Edward Tan in 1989, Ports expanded into the Chinese market in the early 1990s where its parent company — which traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange from 2003 to 2018 and has since been privatized — now operates more than 300 retail stores. Sub-brands of the fashion house include Ports (International) in China and Asia as well as Ports 1969, with subsidiaries in Milan and New York City as well as a flagship store in Paris, for global distribution.

Joe Fresh is a Canadian fashion brand and retail chain created by designer Joe Mimran for Canadian food distributor Loblaw Companies Limited. It was formed in 2006. The label includes adult and children's wear, shoes, handbags, jewelry, beauty products, and bath items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonmarché</span> Clothing retailer based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Bonmarché is a clothing retailer based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The business was founded in 1982, and was acquired by the Peacock Group in July 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Lauren Corporation</span> American apparel, accessories and luxury goods company

Ralph Lauren Corporation is an American publicly traded fashion company that was founded in 1967 by American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Headquartered in New York City, the company produces products ranging from the mid-range to the luxury segments. Ralph Lauren is known for marketing and distributing products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories, and fragrances. Known mostly for its flagship brand Polo Ralph Lauren, the company's brands include mid-range, sub-premium, and premium labels up to its highest priced luxury Purple label apparel. The company additionally owned Club Monaco from 1999 to 2021.

The Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC) is a non-government, not-for-profit organization co-founded in 1999 by Pat McDonagh and Robin Kay. Their mission is to showcase Canadian fashion design nationally and internationally as well as introducing foreign designers to local Canadian markets. The FDCC aims to connect "designers, media, buyers, sponsors, and industry."

Tevrow + Chase was an international womenswear company, with offices in Toronto and New York. The brand was best known for its “high-profile” following, which included Oprah Winfrey and Gwen Stefani

References

  1. ↑ Joseph Mimran on The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  2. ↑ "Joe Mimran, Canadian fashion mogul, joining CBC's Dragons' Den". CBC News, March 18, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "No ordinary Joe". Toronto Star , March 22, 2009.
  4. ↑ http://www1.uwindsor.ca/alumni/joseph-mimran-bcomm-75 Archived 27 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine .
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Joe Fresh's global expansion plan: first, he takes Manhattan". The Globe and Mail , February 23, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Strauss, Marina (13 March 2006). "Loblaw's apparel guru no average Joe". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  7. ↑ News; Marketing, Retail & (16 March 2015). "Joe Fresh founder Joe Mimran stepping down, Mario Grauso taking over | Financial Post". Financial Post. Retrieved 22 March 2020.{{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  8. ↑ Thakker, Krishna (10 July 2018). "Grocery giant Kroger tries on a new outfit with apparel line". Food Dive. Industry Dive . Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  9. 1 2 Mann, Randi (13 December 2021). "Joe Mimran elevates home offices with Staples partnership". National Post. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  10. ↑ https://livegrymattr.com/
  11. ↑ Benessaieh, Karim (15 May 2022). "Testé : airCentric 3 | Toute une science, rester assis". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "Fashion Mogul Joe Mimran Opens New Italian Restaurant in The 6ix". View the VIBE Toronto. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  13. 1 2 Doradea, Karen (6 August 2021). "Joe Fresh founder opens modern Italian restaurant in Toronto | Dished". dailyhive.com. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.