CLOSURE: Iconic clothing brand shuts down Toronto location

A beloved Canadian clothing location has closed up shop in Toronto after 40 years.

Club Monaco has closed its operations at its 403 Queen St. W. location, according to a story in Retail Insider.

The brand was originally established in the 1980s, under the principle of “better basics,” a mantra for refined casual clothing.

The store was founded by Canadians Joe Mimran, Saul Mimran and Alfred Sung, with the first store opening on Sept. 5, 1985.

“The first Club Monaco store opened on Queen Street West in Toronto with lines around the block,” the company says on its website.

The Queen location established a rapid fashion dynasty in Toronto, marked by its pageantry, as a large canvas resembling a brown paper package adorned the store’s exterior, with the iconic Monaco casino painted on the front facade.

[Photo Google Streetview]

This, in turn, set the tone for the future of the brand, as stores opened “at the rate of one a month” for the first four years, according to officials.

However, as of May 2021, Ralph Lauren Corporation sold Club Monaco to Los Angeles-based private equity firm Regent LP, resulting in the brand slowly closing its storefronts over the last few years.

This isn’t the first major Club Monaco location to shutter in Toronto in recent years, as in 2021, the location at the historic Lilian Massey building at 157 Bloor St. W. closed to the public as well.

Those still looking for Club Monaco locations in the GTA aren’t at a complete loss, however, as there are still active brick-and-mortar locations at stores in Yorkdale Shopping Centre and CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto, Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, Toronto Premium Outlets in Halton Hills, and Promenade Shopping Centre in Thornhill.