Serena Rees
Encyclopedia
Serena Rees is a British
businesswoman best known for cofounding Agent Provocateur
with her then husband Joseph Corré
. She currently owns Cocomaya chocolatiers.
and Malcolm McLaren
's son, in 1992 at a nightclub. At the time, she was working at a model agency in Chelsea
on Kings Road
. The pair kept running into one another and began dating. The two eventually married and later divorced in 2007. They have one daughter together.
employee, the two opened Agent Provocateur in the Soho
District on Broadwick Street. When they first started, Agent Provocateur was strictly a shop. Neither Corre or Rees had any intentions of designing lingerie. After having difficulties finding attire they liked, the two started their own line.
Since 1994, Agent Provocateur grew into a brand spanning into 13 different countries with over 30 stores. Rees made sure to cater to a celebrity clientele by enforcing a strict confidentiality policy. Consequently, all employees sign confidentiality agreements not to talk about clients. Due to their popularity among celebrities, the brand often features celebrity models such as Kate Moss
.
for £60m. Rees sold her shares in Agent Provocateur. She now owns Chocomaya, a bakery in London, where she resides with her daughter.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businesswoman best known for cofounding Agent Provocateur
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...
with her then husband Joseph Corré
Joseph Corré
Joseph Corré is a British businessman best known for co-founding the British Lingerie company Agent Provocateur in 1994...
. She currently owns Cocomaya chocolatiers.
Biography
Rees met Joseph Corré, Vivienne WestwoodVivienne 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 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...
's son, in 1992 at a nightclub. At the time, she was working at a model agency in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
on Kings Road
Kings Road
King's Road or Kings Road, known popularly as The King's Road or The KR, is a major, well-known street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both in west London, England...
. The pair kept running into one another and began dating. The two eventually married and later divorced in 2007. They have one daughter together.
Agent Provocateur
Rees -- tired of seeing women dressed in drab undergarments -- came up with an idea to start a lingerie store that was filled with colorful and fashion-forward lingerie. With her former husband, a former Vivienne WestwoodVivienne 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:...
employee, the two opened Agent Provocateur in the Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
District on Broadwick Street. When they first started, Agent Provocateur was strictly a shop. Neither Corre or Rees had any intentions of designing lingerie. After having difficulties finding attire they liked, the two started their own line.
Since 1994, Agent Provocateur grew into a brand spanning into 13 different countries with over 30 stores. Rees made sure to cater to a celebrity clientele by enforcing a strict confidentiality policy. Consequently, all employees sign confidentiality agreements not to talk about clients. Due to their popularity among celebrities, the brand often features celebrity models such as Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
.
Other Business Ventures
After Rees' divorce in 2007, Agent Provocateur was purchased by the private equity house 3i3i
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. Rees sold her shares in Agent Provocateur. She now owns Chocomaya, a bakery in London, where she resides with her daughter.