Behind the relaunch: Joseph Ribkoff’s CEO talks sports, e-commerce and retail debuts

When Stephen Belfer was appointed as VP, global sales and business development for Joseph Ribkoff in November 2025, he didn’t think that just weeks later he would actually be taking up the helm of the Canadian heritage label. “I guess somebody had a different plan for me,” he joked in a conversation with FashionUnited.

Now serving as president and chief executive officer, Belfer has been tasked with leading the strategic relaunch of Joseph Ribkoff, bringing the brand and its relatively quiet persona into a new era. Despite a lowkey presence, the almost 70-year-old label has maintained a consistent level of success, selling across 62 countries, 42 showrooms, and over 3,500 retail partners. “Yet nobody has really told the brand’s story,” Belfer acknowledged.

New e-commerce platform to tell the Joseph Ribkoff story for the first time

To counter this, the debut of an e-commerce platform sits at the heart of relaunch efforts, moving Joseph Ribkoff beyond its largely offline presence. While the digital platform will of course serve primarily as a sales channel, Belfer also sees the site, and associated social media, as a means to expand on the brand’s universe, making its story more accessible to a wider audience. “This gives us the platform to tell the whole world who we are and what we want to show them. That’s the basis of it,” Belfer said.

The executive’s past experience makes him well-suited to leading a globally-minded strategy. Having grown up in the fashion industry within his father’s apparel distribution business, Belfer went on to oversee the Canadian operations of Marc Cain. Over 11 years, he worked on building the German label’s regional presence from scratch, establishing its wholesale, franchise and legal infrastructure, as well as North American e-commerce.

For Belfer, the biggest takeaway from this period was understanding global market disparities, something he deems imperative when introducing a brand to new regions. The key to success, he believes, is adapting to the intricacies of each market. “You have to take into account different politics, different languages in Canada, and regional differences like the West Coast, where there’s a large Asian population. North America is very different from some European countries, and also very diverse within itself,” he noted.

Travel retail and international growth on the radar

When it comes to approaching international markets, Belfer is focused on intentionally building brand awareness. Press days in Europe–specifically in Paris, London, and Amsterdam–and the US, in New York, are part of these efforts. “We’re revamping the brand and letting people really see who we are. When you ask people about Joseph Ribkoff, they recognise the name but don’t know where it is from. We want people to be proud of it, and proud of who we are,” Belfer added.

A similar mindset is being adopted in brick-and-mortar retail, led by Nadine Clour, who took over as VP of global sales and business development. The emphasis so far has been on travel retail. After a strong response to Joseph Ribkoff’s pop-up style store in Cairns Airport, Australia, the brand opened a second location in Auckland Airport, New Zealand, last month. The site, the brand’s first permanent store, is already drawing in “incredible” results, Belfer said.

To align more closely with the travel retail expansion, Joseph Ribkoff has expanded into sportswear, where a “tremendous appetite” has been observed. While dresses remain core to the brand offering, this more relaxed collection caters to travelling customers seeking comfortable clothing for flights and casual days. Belfer also sees potential in denim and knitwear, alongside materials like cashmere blends.

Cross-generational collection modernisation

The modernisation of collections will not come at the price of long-loyal customers, however. Belfer intends to stay rooted in the premium segment, though notes that an increased digital presence will likely draw in a different consumer. “We don’t want to lose the DNA of who we are, but we do want to appeal across generations: grandmother, mother, and daughter,” he noted. “Our designs and fit are what we’re known for. If we can bring that fit and modernise the collection slightly, we can open it up to a much bigger customer base.”

The brand’s upcoming capsule collection, ‘Edit 57: Icons Capsule’, will be a reflection of this shift. Named as a reference to Joseph Ribkoff’s founding year, 1957, the edited line is due to roll out early autumn. From Belfer’s perspective, the collection “gives us a nice opportunity to test the strategy”, providing a visualisation of the slightly new direction the brand will be taking.

This emphasis on ‘product’ remains throughout Joseph Ribkoff’s relaunch. Despite facing a volatile market, Belfer is confident that a consistency in product is critical to the brand’s future, expressing pride over its fit and inclusive sizing, specifically. “There’s always political uncertainty—tariffs, fuel surcharges, global issues. That’s part of business. The key is how you adapt. If your product is strong, people will continue to support you,” he stated.

The product will naturally sit centre stage in physical retail spaces, including its upcoming Rentham store in Massachusetts, which will become Joseph Ribkoff’s first outlet. Further retail locations across both travel and traditional formats are expected to continue rolling out over the next two years. “It’s very important to have an omnichannel approach—wholesale, e-commerce, retail, and outlet—because it gives you a full picture of the business and the economy,” Belfer said.

Building team loyalty sits at the heart of leadership

Balancing this plethora of channels, some entirely new, will require a solid team to ensure long-term success, which Belfer is confident he has. “The most important thing is the people you surround yourself with,” he said, when asked about his leadership style. “You can have a strategic vision, but it’s hard if you don’t have the right people to implement it. You have to trust people, believe they are loyal to the brand, and empower them to do their jobs. We have a great executive team, who I encourage to develop themselves as leaders. That builds loyalty and respect. I grew up in a family business, and that’s how I like to treat it here.”

Belfer is also not limiting the team to rigid targets. Instead, while transitioning away from a business wholly reliant on wholesale, he views the strategy as a jigsaw puzzle that needs the right pieces in order to fit. “When you launch an e-commerce site, in the first year it should typically serve as a smaller retail store, and in the second and third years it becomes the biggest retail store you have,” he said. “At this stage, we’re putting the right strategies in place. We have a strategic vision going forward, and over the next 24 months, you’ll see something pretty incredible from the brand.”