Joseph is a luxurious

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...

brand and retail chain that was established in

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by Moroccan entrepreneur

Joseph Ettedgui Joseph Ettedgui (1936-2010), usually known simply as Joseph, was an influential London-based retailer and founder of the Joseph retail empire. After his death, the chair of the British Fashion Council Harold Tillman described him as: "a great des ...

and his family in 1972.

History of the brand

The Joseph brand grew from a small shop attached to a hairdressing salon in

King's Road King's Road or Kings Road (or sometimes the King's Road, especially when it was the king's private road until 1830, or as a colloquialism by middle/upper class London residents), is a major street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both ...

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, owned by Casablanca-born Joseph Ettedgui and his brothers Maurice and Franklin, to more than 20 London stores, with eight additional outlets in

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and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

plus stores in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

and

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. Joseph Ettedgui's love of fashion meant the brothers began displaying designer clothes in their hair salon in the 1960s, including the work of pioneering

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

designer

Kenzo Takada is a common masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Kenzō can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *賢三, "wise, three" *健三, "healthy, three" *謙三, "humble, three" *健想, "healthy, concept" *建造, "bu ...

. The success of this early collaboration led to a move into fashion retailing, with the first store opening below the Chelsea hair salon in the early 1970s and the first large-scale retail outlet opening on

Sloane Street Sloane Street is a major London street in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea which runs north to south, from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square, crossing Pont Street about halfway along. History Sloane Street takes its name from Sir H ...

in 1979.

Designer collaborations

Joseph stores championed the work of many up-and-coming designers, including Margaret Howell,

Katharine Hamnett Katharine E. Hamnett (born 16 August 1947, in Gravesend, Kent) is an English fashion designer best known for her political T-shirts. Early life Hamnett was born on 16 August 1947, the daughter of James Appleton, a group captain. She attende ...

John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer from Gibraltar. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. Since 2014, Galliano has been the crea ...

and Azzedine Alaïa. Own brand clothing began with distinctive knitwear (Joseph Tricot) and went on to include women's clothing, perfume, homewares (Joseph Pour La Maison), and Joe's restaurants. Joseph has been the recipient of a number of British Fashion Awards, including Knitwear Designer of the Year four times between 1990 and 1994 and a British Fashion Award in 2000 presented by

Cherie Blair Cherie, Lady Blair, (; born 23 September 1954), also known professionally as Cherie Booth, is an English barrister and writer. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Tony Blair. Early life and education Booth ...

. The stores were as distinctive and influential to the UK retail scene as the clothes in them. Joseph was among the first to combine a restaurant and shop in one space. The Sloane Street store has a Joe's Restaurant on site and the Brompton Cross store has a Joe's Restaurant across the road. The Sloane Street,

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Toponymy Knightsbridge is an ancien ...

flagship store was opened in 1979, and was designed by acclaimed architect

Norman Foster Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Nor ...

. Joseph also collaborated with other architects and designers – including Eva Jiricná,

Andrée Putman Andrée Putman (23 December 1925 – 19 January 2013) was a French interior and product designer. She was the mother of Olivia Putman and of Cyrille Putman. Life and work Childhood and youth (1925–1944) Andrée Christine Aynard was bor ...

and Raëd Abillama Architects – on its retail and restaurant projects.

Further development of the brand

In 1999 the Ettedgui brothers sold a majority share of the business to Belgian financier

Albert Frère Albert, Baron Frère (4 February 1926 – 3 December 2018) was a Belgian billionaire businessman. Early life Frère grew up as a son of a nail merchant and helped in the business since an early age. His father died when Frère was 17; Frère h ...

, and a minority interest to LVMH. In 2000, Frère took over the shares of Besoussan, who had briefly assumed the role of CEO at Joseph, and thus held 72% of the company. In the meantime, the Joseph boutiques ran alongside their own line, among other things. Designers like

Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashio ...

, Balenciaga, Azzedine Alaïa,

or Diane von Fürstenberg. In 2004 there were 63 Joseph boutiques worldwide. In May 2005 the company was sold to the

fashion group Onward Kashiyama, long-time license partner of Joseph in Asia, for approximately 140 million pounds. Ettedgui and his brother Franklin received an additional £20 million in the deal for the sale of their remaining shares. The two left the company at the end of 2005. In 2008 sales were almost EUR 82 million. Between 2009 and 2012 Joseph renovated a number of its stores both in the UK - including Brook Street, Old Bond Street, Sloane Street and Westbourne Grove - and in France, including St Germain and Avenue Montaigne. In 2010 there were 34 boutiques worldwide. In 2011 the company opened its first store in Moscow, and in 2012 opened a store in Los Angeles. In 2013 the company opened stores in Beirut and New York City. In February 2016, Joseph opened its first stand-alone menswear store at No.2 Savile Row in London.

Fashion shows

In 2013 Joseph announced that it would be appearing at

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fashion wee ...

in February 2014, with five of its designers creating product for the catwalk show. It also appeared at London Fashion Week in autumn 2014. The autumn/winter 2015 Menswear Collection received press coverage from fashion trade paper WWD.

References

External links

Joseph UK

* ttp://www.fashionreview.co.uk/joseph-fashion/ Timeline of the brand from Fashion Review
Example of 1980s Joseph Tricot sweater in V&A fashion archive collection
{{Authority control Clothing brands Clothing companies of the United Kingdom High fashion brands de:Joseph (Modemarke)