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The Japanese owner of fashion brand Joseph has appointed advisers to explore a potential sale of the business, according to Sky News. Onward Kashiyama is working…

FASHION

Joseph fashion brand owner explores potential sale

10 August, 2026 | by Angela Beevers

The Japanese owner of fashion brand Joseph has appointed advisers to explore a potential sale of the business, according to Sky News.

Onward Kashiyama is working with PricewaterhouseCoopers to field talks with potential buyers, the report said.

Joseph was founded in 1966 by Moroccan-born designer Joseph Ettedgui and enjoyed strong popularity through the 1990s. A majority stake in the company was sold to Belgian financier Albert Frère in 1999, before long-time licence partner Onward Kashiyama acquired the brand in 2005 for £140 million.

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Joseph’s current creative director, Mario Arena, joined in November 2024 after previously holding senior roles at Christopher Kane, Nanushka and JW Anderson. He has been credited with helping revive the business, with sources telling Sky News his impact has helped spark interest in a possible sale.

Speaking to The Times earlier this year, Arena said “ I want Joseph to be an all-encompassing, a place you walk into and breathe the Joseph lifestyle, just as it did when it opened all those years ago.

He added: “I want to do glasses, shoes, bags menswear – all of it, I am raring to go.”