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How Canadian grocery-store label
Joe Fresh came to take a bite out of
the Big Apple’s fashion scene
BY JACQUELINE DETWILER
THERE ARE CONCERNS
you don’t necessarily antici-
pate when opening a fashion boutique in the middle
of a supermarket. Racks and mannequins will take
regular hits from shopping carts, for example, and
the dressing room queue must move quickly so
customers’ ice cream doesn’t melt. Also, browns and
tans can look drab next to the fruits and vegetables,
so you’d best design in bright colors.
These were the challenges that fashion mogul Joe
Mimran, of Club Monaco fame, faced when Cana-
dian supermarket chain Loblaws
approached him in 2006 about
designing a clothing line for its
stores. Mimran tackled the job
admirably: avoidingmannequins
entirely for the first few years,
commissioning cart-proof stainless steel fixtures
and cra ing inexpensive, edgy basics in fanciful hues.
From such inconspicuous beginnings, the clothing
line—named Joe Fresh and including items like
color-block dresses and bright orange neoprene bell
jackets, all priced under $160—became a strong driver
of Loblaws’ revenues through the recession. In five
years, Joe Fresh spread from 40 grocery stores to
Checkout Line
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
MAY 2012
53
bright ideas
COLORFUL
CHARACTER
Joe
Mimran, left, with
some of Joe Fresh’s
characteristically
loud designs