Winter white skinny jeans ✓
Chunky cable knit sweater ✓
Leather jacket ✓
Comfy sneakers ✓
This is has become my winter uniform lately. Sometimes the simplicity of solid colors works in all the right way when you play with different materials and textures. Between the edginess of the leather jacket and the comfy look and feel of a knitted sweater, pieces like this just come together like soul mates.
After searching for a basic grey cable knit sweater sweater for a while now I finally picked this one up by Joe Fresh. Being fairly new to the fashion industry, I am still discovering brands and designers who I like and I originally found Joe Fresh through JCPenney.
As I've done my research, as I often do, I have grown to not only fall in love with the brand but have developed a deep rooted respect for the designer himself. Joe Mimran was born in Casablanca, Morocco in 1957 and very soon after was moved to Canada where his fashion forward mother dressed her whole family in tailored suits inspired by the Hollywood elite. Growing a business from home, she soon branched out to dress local socialites. In 1976, Joe's brother purchased a small factory in the local garment distract that soon turned into a blossoming family business, pulling Joe into the grind as the head of manufacturing, operations, and finance. Joe caught onto the high demand of tailored women's separates and got inspired enough to branch out with his brother in 1979, with the goal of bringing a more modern aesthetic to their lines. Teaming up with a local designer Alfred Sung, they launched a collection that quickly took off and opened stores all across America. After a couple years worth of high ups and downs, Joe left the Mimran group to focus on a new business endeavor that may sound familiar.....Club Monaco.
Inspired by a simple quest to the perfect white t-shirt, Joe launched Club Monaco centered around minimalistic basics. After being denied by many department stores to feature his modern, unisex designs, he decided to open his own shop. With the help of some genius marketing that preceded the stores opening, Joe has a line of people waiting for the store to open the morning it finally did. In 1995, a Flagship store opened in NYC on 5th Avenue and it remains there to this day. During a recession in the late 90s, the brand cut back to focus on more neutrals and black and whites to save on costs but ended up accidentally stumbling upon a whole new revitalization of the company! By 1999 Club Monaco had 125 worldwide with stores in the USA, Canada, Japan and South Korea. After Polo Ralph Lauren purchased the company Joe stayed on as president and CEO to see the company through the transition and then eventually left.
In 2004, he was eventually approached to launch a private label apparel line that made mens and women's clothing that would be sold in supermarkets across Canada. Over the course of the next couple years the brand added children's clothing, sleepwear, swimwear, sunglasses and even nail-polish. With such a high demand for growing brand, after being featured everywhere from the Vancouver Olympics, the Scouts uniforms, and even an apparel partnership with Barbie, they opened their first free-standing store and has since branched out internationally.
Now-a-days, you can fall in love with Joe at his in store shop featured in JCPenney stores. The one exceptionally cool thing that I have discovered is that the designs between his official brand website and the shop brand (for JCP) are virtually the same. Sometimes the JCP items are priced more obtainably but even when you are buying from the Joe Fresh website, you don't come across a ton of pieces that break the bank. With as reputable as his brand is, its been refreshing to see price points that are very reasonable.
After perusing their website to find some great tops and sweaters that I adore, I couldn't wait to share them with you all! I hope you enjoy these fresh, modern designs and can appreciate the hard work that has gone in to a now very successful company. I love purchasing pieces from designers like this, and making my small contribution to ensuring that brand is around for years to come.
Sweater: Joe Fresh / Jeans: Express / Sneakers: Nike / Jacket: Wilson's Leather
Its amazing what hidden stories and lives our favorite designers have. There is so much that Joe Mimran went through to get to the label Joe Fresh, and now I get to wear that brand on my body every day. As an advocate of looking great on a budget, I continue to appreciate such a successful, reputable designer keeping his pieces completely affordable. If you trust me.....check him out!
Shop Smart. Look Chic. Stay Stylish.
XoXo
-Viktoria
