Joe Mimran

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

Early life Mimran was born in Casablanca, Morocco, to Eli and Esther Mimran, who are both Jewish. In 1957, the family, including Joe and brother Saul, moved to Canada and settled in Forest Hill, Toronto. He later earned his CPA. 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.

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.

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

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.

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

Staples partnership In 2019, Joe created and launched 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 collection includes blue light glasses and eyewear, office organizers, technology and iPhone accessories, drinkware, stationery, décor. It later included office chairs.

Mimran launched another line of products with Staples, General Supply Goods + Co. He partnered with Tony Longo of Centro and INK Entertainment Group to launch the 33,000 square foot space.

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.