Joe Mimran

Joseph (Joe) Mimran (born 1952) is a Canadian fashion designer and entrepreneur who is best known for launching the Club Monaco and Joe Fresh brands. In 2015, he was announced as one of the new dragons on Season 10 of the Canadian reality television series Dragons' Den.

Mimran was born in 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.

Mimran’s mother introduced him to design at an early age. Formerly a couturier in Morocco, Esther Mimran 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). 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 while completing his bachelor of arts degree at York University, where he majored in sociology and fine art. In 1975, he attended the University of Windsor, where he completed a bachelor's degree. He later earned his CPA. After graduation he worked as an accountant.

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. 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."2 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.

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