For more than 25 years, Joseph Mimran has been an important contributor to the fashion and design industry in Canada. With his sharp eye, impeccable attention to detail and insight into emerging trends, Joe has always been on the forefront of what’s next.

In 1979 he hired designer Alfred Sung and together built Sung’s namesake fashion line into a Canadian mainstay. He then Co-founded Club Monaco in 1984 with his brother and Sung, where he lead the fashion retailer to grow to 141 stores by 1997 (opening 1 per month for 4 years straight). In 1995 Mimran launched the dearly missed home-product and fashion brand Caban for design-conscious consumers and then in 2000 he sold Caban and Club Monaco to Ralph Lauren Polo Corp. in a reported $52-million deal (US).

I first became familiar of the man behind the brands I’ve loved, through my mentor Robin Lewis and his best friend Ian Hylton. Ian was one of Mimran’s key creatives and being so close to their authenticity of approach, lifestyle and execution in their work made my passion for their brands even stronger.

To this day, Caban is one of my favorite retail concepts (both in-store and web presence), and upon launch immediately established itself as an innovative and unique retailer, with a distinctive product mix and presentation philosophy and offered a complete product range for modern living, including furniture, tabletop, home accessories, bed and bath and apparel. The result was a modern, edited collection of product that reflected good design. Unfortunately after the purchase by Ralph Lauren, the Caban brand began to lose focus and Mr. Mimran was ousted. In the summer of 2006, Ralph Lauren Corp. choose to close all of the Caban stores and focus on the Club Monaco in the United States. The last store to close was the flagship store on Queen St. west in Toronto.

With the closing of Caban a void was left in the market segment in which Joeseph himself had created.

Fast forward to his current venture, Joseph Mimran & Associates, where Joe continues to keeps things fresh, providing elegant design, inventive product development and branding expertise as the Head of General Merchandise at Weston owned Loblaw Companies Limited (they also own Holt Renfrew) where Joesph oversees the non-food items, such as books, electronics, home decor and furniture, toys, home furnishings, electronics, sporting goods, books, toys and hardware. He launched Joe Fresh and as Creative Director of Joe Fresh Style, Joe is committed to offering women, men and children stylish and versatile looks for every day that are both well-designed and well-priced. Joe personally oversees the design and development of an extensive clothing range, from chic footwear to the latest in outdoor fashions. In addition to apparel, the Joe Fresh brand recently launched cosmetics and bath collections. Mimran also oversees the President’s Choice Home collection of contemporary home décor and accessories. His venture into the home fashions market resulted in widespread acclaim for this collection of design-driven items, from barbecues to woven storage baskets that offer incredible value, along with a look, feel and functionality that fit with today’s modern lifestyle.

His balance of fiscal and design sensibilities is what I believe truly sets him apart. Recently he had said “I got my Chartered Accountant degree before getting into the business, and that has helped immensely. Today, good design and good business go hand in hand. You cannot design in a vacuum. You have to design with price points, manufacturing processes and end use in mind. I have been fortunate enough to come at it from the business side.” With that balancing act, he has managed to turn Loblaws stores into a cheap and chic clothing destination, drawing suburban families and urban fashion types alike.

Joe Fresh has become the second-largest clothing line in the country and last year added makeup and body products to its repertoire. I long for the days of Caban, but I trust that Joesph has a greater vision to unfold.

S.™