Design duo

Design couple: Joe Mimran and Kimberley Newport-Mimran

 

 

Joe Mimran, President’s Choice Home Collection

 

“I think we’re going through cultural revolution in North America”

 

The President’s Choice Home Collection has now been on the shelves for over six months, extending the successful brand which began its days as part of the food renaissance that brought flavours and tastes from around the world to Canadians. Joe Mimran talks about his love for design and changing Canadian marketplace.

 

Customer – we want to keep in mind who our customer is – someone who is interested in style but not immersed in design. The superstores attract a broad audience from both the urban and suburban areas of Canada. We want them to see products that are ahead of the market, but not out of their reach.

 

Fall – our first complete line in Fall 05 was a huge success. To have a items for every room, including towels, bedding, and down comforters was very popular with the customer. The gel pillows are a perfect PC item being a unique combination of technical and style.

 

Brand – With the PC home collection we wanted to extend the established brand of PC into the rest of the home. The consumer has a high regard for the food items that started the PC brand and we want to insure that we maintain the integrity of the brand as well as expand the category in a way that makes sense, challenges the consumer and provides them with a quality item for their home.

 

Spring 06 – the evolving assortment will develop with the majority of items being release in Fall 06. For spring 06 a 400 thread count sheet set in 100 per cent cotton is now available, with a price of $59.95 for a king size sheet set that is still easy care. It will be the Rolls Royce of sheets!

 

Experimentation – we’re working with charcoal for use in our pillows and we’re using a lot of bamboo in our kitchen products, since it’s a renewable resource. With 700 items we consider each season, 400-500 will make it to the store shelf. The sales of home items within a big box grocery store has been a change for Canadians, who aren’t used to it like in the US and UK.

 

Background – when I started Caban in 1993 I don’t think anyone really understood the power of interior design. I had been travelling to Europe and Asia for business and could see the rise in the focus on homes. I wanted to create something unique that blended fashion and home since I understood the fashion business and was beginning to learn about the home business.

 

Influence – The English have really created significant stores within home design for a long time – from Terence Conran’s Habitat stores to Tesco -  you see many English brands expanding into the home market. I think there’s a cultural revolution in North America with the shift of people’s interests in home, in different types of food, wine and design. Media has helped us see different parts of the world, their cultures and created the shift in what people want in their homes.

 

Who to watch – Dutch designer Tord Boontje, British designer Tom Dixon, US retailer Target, PC Home of course!

 

 

 

Kimberley Newport-Mimran, Pink Tartan

 

“If it fits me and feels good then I know my customer will love it too.”

 

Fashion designer Kimberley Newton-Mimran is a typical Canadian women – energetic, intelligent and balancing her career and family. Now in her fourth season with her label Pink Tartan, Kimberley has begun to realize many of her goals as a designer whose clothes are now found throughout Canada at Holt Renfrew and the US through Saks Fifth Avenue as well as speciality boutiques on both sides of the border.

 

Customer – I think of a woman who is 25+, who lives in an urban market. She is fashion forward and wants elegant dressing but understands quality. She wants to have those favourite pieces which are easily used while at work, in the evening or on the weekend. I don’t think there’s any difference between the Canadian and US customer – its really about the effects of weather – living farther south means wearing lighter fabrics.

 

Brand – Pink Tartan isn’t restricted to fashion trends, its about defining one’s style and mixing it up. Wearing, designers, Pink Tartan and H&M, I think that’s the reality of our world, where we have lots of choice at all price levels. This is a very modern way of dressing.

 

Background – A graduated of George Brown College’s fashion merchandising school, Kimberley worked for HBC and then Club Monaco and Caban. With her experience in retail, as a product developer as well as buyer, she felt she was ready to take on the challenge of developing her fashion label and credits her mentor, her husband Joe Mimran with helping her succeed in her goals.

 

Fall/Winter 06 – my new line is divided into three categories. I was influenced by London in the late ‘60s with the Sloane Rangers, Chelsea girls and Mod street style. Clash of the Tartans reflects the mix of shrunken sexy jackets, grey Italian “paper” fabrics, stretch velvets, ruffled shirts and for the first time I’ve used tartan! Weekend at Windsor is softer knit tops paired with chunky sweaters and lots of camel and green. Mod is very graphic, black and cream, in blouses, skirts with grosgrain ribbon detail and houndstooth. I’ve also done a fur cape in cream and a black sheared beaver cape. I like the mix of traditional menswear with a sexy edge – a ruffled shirt underneath a fitted jacket. I love a great white shirt and pants. There are a lot of details in the clothes, from horn or pressed crocodile buttons, to ribbon, to jacquard linings or a splash of colour on the outside of a jacket collar.

 

Spring 06 – In the past seasons I’ve focused on silhouette, textile and details. I think these are important and will be important to my customer. We live in such a fast-paced world, where we can see the latest trends on television, in magazines and on the web so quickly, so we can respond to the trends, but we also seek out pieces which can compliment our lifestyle. I’ve been designing three collections a year – spring/summer, fall/winter and resort, which is important since Pink Tartan is found in department stores and you need to keep the store displays fresh.

 

Experimentation – I’m so proud of what we’ve done with Pink Tartan and I think we’re on track with our plans. I’d love to design accessories – shoes and purses – to complete the look of Pink Tartan. Since I have experience in retail, I’d love one day to have Pink Tartan stores. To have your own flagship where every detail reflects your brand is wonderful.

 

Influence – I think what Miuccia Prada has created is wonderful. She has created a classic style which is consistent. I love what Coco Chanel did for fashion. She believed in a look and women wanted it. She was the first woman to popularize pants for women, which I love since I’m a pants girl.

 

Who to Watch – I think finding your own style is key. There’s so much influence from design in all areas – fashion and interiors. From the red carpet to the web, we’re spoiled for choice in finding influences and developing style.

 

 

Published in Life & Fashion Fall 2006