Maurice's
American women's clothing retail chain serving value-oriented customers through stores and digital retail.
Last updated August 22, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Maurices is an American women's clothing retail chain headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota. The business began in 1931 when Emanuel Morris “E. Maurice” Labovitz opened a store called Maurices Dress Shop in Duluth. The original name was later shortened to Maurices, reflecting the development of a more recognizable retail brand rather than a single local dress shop. From its early regional roots, the company developed a broad store network focused on women's apparel and accessories, with locations concentrated in shopping malls, neighborhood retail areas, and smaller communities across the United States and, according to reference descriptions, Canada. The company's market position has traditionally centered on accessible women's fashion. Its assortment is associated with everyday clothing and coordinating accessories rather than luxury goods or highly specialized technical apparel. This value-oriented positioning has allowed Maurices to serve customers seeking practical, trend-aware wardrobes at moderate prices. The retail model has combined physical stores with online commerce, while its store footprint has historically given the brand a presence in markets that are not always prioritized by major urban fashion retailers. Maurices remained under the control of the Labovitz family for several decades. In 1978, the family sold the business to the American Retail Group associated with the Brenninkmeijer family. The next major ownership transition occurred in 2005, when Ascena Retail Group acquired Maurices from American Retail Group. Under Ascena, Maurices operated as one of the group's women's retail brands and continued to expand its presence in the United States and Canada. The brand received external recognition for its workplace reputation in 2011, when Forbes.com included Maurices among its “Top Ten Best Employers in Retail.” That year also brought a marketing and product collaboration with Christopher Straub, a designer known from the sixth season of the television program Project Runway. The resulting Christopher Straub for maurices collection was released nationwide in November 2011. The collaboration extended beyond apparel: a plush puppy connected with the collection was intended to support the American Cancer Society. In March 2019, Ascena sold a majority stake in Maurices to a United States subsidiary of London-based private-equity firm OpCapita LLP. The transaction was reported at a valuation of $300 million, with Ascena retaining a minority interest. Maurices' existing leadership team remained in place, while Jeff Kirwan, a former chief executive of Gap Inc., joined as executive chairman. OpCapita chief executive Henry Jackson described Ascena's retained stake and continuing services as part of the post-transaction relationship. The deal marked a shift from ownership by a publicly traded retail group to majority private-equity ownership. Maurices is therefore best understood as a long-established, value-focused women's apparel retailer whose identity is closely tied to smaller-market and community retailing. Its history combines family ownership, corporate acquisition, brand-level merchandising, celebrity-linked collaborations, and private-equity restructuring. Public reference material establishes the chain's long operating history, North American footprint, and major ownership changes, but does not provide enough current corporate information here to identify its present ultimate owner, current executive roster, exact store count, or current financial performance.
History
Maurices traces its origins to Duluth, Minnesota, where Emanuel Morris “E. Maurice” Labovitz opened the first Maurices Dress Shop in 1931. The business began as a local women's dress retailer and gradually developed into a broader apparel chain. By the late 1960s, the name had been shortened to Maurices, creating the concise brand identity used for the chain's subsequent expansion. The Labovitz family retained ownership through the business's formative decades. In 1978, the family sold Maurices to the American Retail Group connected with the Brenninkmeijer family. This transaction moved the company from family ownership into a larger retail holding structure while preserving Maurices as a distinct operating brand. In 2005, Ascena Retail Group acquired Maurices from American Retail Group. Maurices then operated within Ascena's portfolio of women's fashion businesses. The chain's retail model emphasized women's clothing and accessories sold through a large physical-store network. Its shops were commonly situated in shopping malls and smaller towns, giving the brand a presence beyond the largest metropolitan fashion markets. Its assortment was positioned around accessible everyday apparel, including clothing suitable for casual, work, and seasonal wardrobes. Reference material describes the chain as having more than 1,000 stores in the United States and Canada, although the exact current store count is not established here. In 2011, Maurices received workplace recognition from Forbes.com and pursued a nationally visible designer collaboration. The company worked with Christopher Straub, a designer associated with the sixth season of Project Runway. The resulting Christopher Straub for maurices collection launched nationwide on November 25, 2011. A plush puppy connected with the program was designed to benefit the American Cancer Society, linking the collection to a charitable initiative. The most significant later ownership event occurred in March 2019. Ascena sold a majority stake in Maurices to a U.S. subsidiary of OpCapita LLP, a London-based private-equity firm. The transaction was reported at a $300 million valuation. Ascena retained a minority stake and continued to provide a range of services, while Maurices' leadership team remained in place. Jeff Kirwan, formerly associated with Gap Inc., became executive chairman. The change represented a transition from ownership inside a public retail conglomerate to majority control by a private-equity investor. The available reference material does not identify a current ultimate parent, current owner, current chief executive, or current financial results. It does establish Maurices as an active North American women's apparel retailer with roots in Duluth and a long history of ownership changes, store-based merchandising, accessible fashion positioning, and occasional designer and charitable collaborations.
- 2019
OpCapita acquires majority stake
[1]Ascena sold a majority stake to an OpCapita affiliate at a reported $300 million valuation, retaining a minority interest.
- 2011
Forbes retail-employer recognition
[1]Maurices was included by Forbes.com among the ten best employers in retail in a published ranking.
- 2011
Christopher Straub collection launches
[1]The Christopher Straub for maurices collection was released nationwide on November 25, accompanied by a charitable plush-puppy initiative.
- 2005
Ascena acquires Maurices
[1]Ascena Retail Group acquired Maurices from American Retail Group.
- 1978
Labovitz family sells the business
[1]The founding family sold Maurices to the American Retail Group associated with the Brenninkmeijer family.
- 1931
First Maurices Dress Shop opens in Duluth
[1]Emanuel Morris “E. Maurice” Labovitz founded the business by opening the first Maurices Dress Shop in Duluth, Minnesota.
Products and positioning
Accessible, trend-aware women's fashion for everyday wear, with a strong emphasis on practical shopping in malls, smaller communities, and online channels.
Women's fashion retail · 1931
Women's apparel
Maurices' core business is women's clothing for everyday wardrobes. The assortment is associated with accessible fashion rather than luxury or specialist apparel, covering casual and seasonal dressing through coordinated separates and complete outfits. The brand's store-centered model historically placed these products in malls and smaller communities, while its retail proposition also extended to online shopping.
Women's apparel · 1931
Dresses
Dresses are part of Maurices' heritage as a business that began as a dress shop. The category represents occasion, seasonal, and everyday options within the brand's broader value-oriented women's fashion assortment. Specific current styles, labels, and product architecture are not established by the supplied reference material.
Women's apparel
Denim and casual separates
Maurices offers the type of casual wardrobe categories associated with a broad women's apparel retailer, including bottoms, tops, and coordinating separates. These products support practical day-to-day dressing and can be combined into outfits with the brand's seasonal apparel and accessories. Detailed current product ranges are not specified in the supplied sources.
Fashion accessories
Accessories
Accessories complement Maurices' women's apparel assortment and support complete-look merchandising. The supplied material identifies accessories as part of the chain's typical products but does not provide a verified current list of subcategories or proprietary accessory lines.
Designer collaboration · 2011
Christopher Straub for maurices
This limited collaboration with Project Runway-associated designer Christopher Straub was announced in 2011 and released nationwide on November 25 of that year. It extended Maurices' accessible fashion positioning through a celebrity-linked designer collection. A plush puppy connected to the collaboration was also created to support the American Cancer Society.
Marketing campaigns
- 2011Main Street Model Search
United States
Maurices conducted a Main Street Model Search in 2011, a community-oriented marketing initiative associated with its later collaboration with Christopher Straub.
Outcome. The initiative was followed by the Christopher Straub collaboration; detailed participation and performance results are not provided.
- 2011Christopher Straub for maurices
United States
Maurices partnered with Christopher Straub, known from Project Runway season six, for a nationwide apparel collection released in November 2011.
Outcome. The collection launched nationally, and a related plush puppy was intended to benefit the American Cancer Society.
Brand decisions
2019
Majority stake sold to OpCapita affiliateM&ABackground
Ascena restructured ownership of Maurices by selling control to a U.S. subsidiary of London-based private-equity firm OpCapita LLP.
Action taken
Ascena sold a majority stake, retained a minority interest, and maintained a continuing services relationship. Jeff Kirwan joined as executive chairman.
Aftermath
Maurices moved to majority private-equity ownership while its existing leadership team remained in place.
Reported transaction valuation. $300 million valuation (March 2019)
2005
Ascena acquires MauricesM&ABackground
Maurices had previously been owned by the American Retail Group after the founding family sold the business in 1978.
Action taken
Ascena Retail Group acquired the chain from American Retail Group.
Aftermath
Maurices continued as a distinct women's retail brand within Ascena's portfolio.
Recent events
- 2019
Ascena sells majority stake in Maurices to OpCapita affiliate[1]
M&A
Ascena Retail Group sold a majority interest in Maurices to a United States subsidiary of London-based private-equity firm OpCapita LLP. The transaction was reported at a valuation of $300 million, while Ascena retained a minority stake.
- 2011
Maurices announces Christopher Straub collaboration[1]
Campaign · Product launch
Maurices announced a nationwide collaboration with designer Christopher Straub, known from Project Runway season six. The collection was released in November 2011 and included a charitable plush-puppy component supporting the American Cancer Society.
- 2011
Maurices recognized among leading retail employers[1]
Other
Forbes.com included Maurices in a list identifying ten highly rated employers in the retail sector.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/maurices · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled