Mr. Joe Fresh, Joe Mimran, has been busy this summer with more than just keeping up his George Hamilton–worthy tan. First, there was the launch of his first U.S. store, a pop-up shop in East Hampton, which is offering free pedicab rides to various beaches and free ice cream in an attempt to lure customers in to buy its summer collection. Not one to rest on his laurels, Mimran has been planning store openings like crazy. Beyond the plans for four new stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut this fall, three more are slated to open in Toronto: at the Golden Mile Shopping Centre, at Queen and Portland and at Carlton and Church (in the revamped Maple Leaf Gardens). And through all this expansion, Mimran had time to give an interview to Racked on “conquering N.Y.C.” (despite Joe Fresh not being open there yet).
In news that will surprise no one, Mimran is an Upper East Side kind of guy (we don’t exactly see him fraternizing with hipster parents around Williamsburg), and after singing Canada’s praises, saying “Canadians are a diverse bunch with heritages and traditions originating from all over the world,” he gets in a mild dig at Toronto, claiming that New York “has incredible verve and people are out on the streets more. You see much more fashion walking around N.Y.C. than in Toronto.” It’s kind of strange to see Americans getting so excited about a grocery store clothing brand, but hey, they never had to buy their underwear with their hormone-free, grass-fed lamb.
• Canadian Invasion: Joe Fresh’s Joe Mimran on Conquering NYC [Racked]
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