Joe Mimran exits Joe Fresh

Like Calvin Klein and Martin Margiela before him, the “Joe” in Joe Fresh has parted ways with his namesake brand. Announced yesterday, Joe Mimran announced his exit at the company he founded in 2006.

To those in the know, this news doesn’t come as a complete surprise, with rumours swirling for the past few months about snags in its U.S. expansion and disagreements between Mimran and top execs. Ever the graceful figurehead, Mimran’s spin on the separation is nothing but positive, telling the Toronto Star that “I’ve been doing it for 10 years, and I’ve been looking to relax a little bit and enjoy my home in Palm Beach, my wife and kids.”

The company will be handed over to new CEO Mario Grauso, who has been reporting to Mimran since 2013, when the Joe Fresh began its international takeover in New York (and just after the Rana Plaza catastrophe that killed over 1,000 workers). “The roadmap that I am following is one that he and I built together [at Joe Fresh]. Great fashion essentials at an accessible price are key to this business, and those would continue to be my core values,” Grauso told the Financial Post. Luckily for those who’ve become accustomed to Mimran’s dapper presence though, he’ll stay on as brand ambassador for the indefinite future.

Perhaps most interestingly, the Financial Post’s report of Mimran’s exit includes other news about the brand’s future, announcing that accessories and beauty products will be sold at Shoppers Drug Mart in 2016 as well as a deep dive into the world of footwear, with Aldo signed on to design all of Joe Fresh’s upcoming shoe collections.

While this news might prompt a big ol’ Can Con sad face, Joe Fresh’s international future is looking mighty homegrown.

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