Joseph Corré
Encyclopedia
Joseph Corré is a British businessman best known for co-founding the British Lingerie company Agent Provocateur
in 1994. He is the son of British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood
and Sex Pistols
' ex-manager, Malcolm McLaren
.
As a child, he would wear his mother's designs long before they were popular. He would hang out with the Sex Pistols and regards them as his favorite band, despite his poor relationship with Johnny Rotten.
He met Serena Rees
, now ex-wife and former business partner, in 1992 at a night club. The pair divorced in 2007 and have one daughter together.
Following his divorce with Rees, Agent Provocateur was purchased by the private equity house 3i
for £60m.
's actions regarding Iraq
and Civil Liberties
.
Agent Provocateur (lingerie)
Agent Provocateur is a British lingerie retailer founded in 1994 by Joseph Corré and Serena Rees. The first shop was opened on London's Broadwick Street in the Soho district in 1994. Since then, the company has opened 30 stores in 13 countries across the globe. In 2007, Agent Provocateur was...
in 1994. He is the son of British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood
Dame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.-Early life:...
and Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
' ex-manager, Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
.
Early years
Corré was born in Clapham, England to fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and the Sex Pistol's former manager Malcolm McLaren. His surname comes from his father's maternal grandmother who was a Sephardic Jew from Portugal.As a child, he would wear his mother's designs long before they were popular. He would hang out with the Sex Pistols and regards them as his favorite band, despite his poor relationship with Johnny Rotten.
He met Serena Rees
Serena Rees
Serena Rees is a British businesswoman best known for cofounding Agent Provocateur with her then husband Joseph Corré. She currently owns Cocomaya chocolatiers.-Biography:...
, now ex-wife and former business partner, in 1992 at a night club. The pair divorced in 2007 and have one daughter together.
Agent Provocateur
Agent Provocateur was established in 1994 after Rees grew tired of seeing drab undergarments. The two opened a shop in which they originally sold other designers' lingerie. Corré, a former Vivienne Westwood employee, had no intentions of designing lingerie. After not finding enough of the type lingerie they wished to sell, Corré decided to make their own brand of lingerie. Since then, the company has spanned to 14 different countries and 30 stores.Following his divorce with Rees, Agent Provocateur was purchased by the private equity house 3i
3i
3i Group plc is a multinational private equity and venture capital company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has offices in 13 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas and had total assets under management of £12.7 billion as at 31 March 2011...
for £60m.
MBE Controversy
In June 2007, Corré was awarded the MBE for his services to the fashion industry in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. However, he controversially rejected the honour in protest of outgoing Prime Minister Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's actions regarding Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Civil Liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
.