Serena Rees MBE (born 14 March 1968)[1] is a British entrepreneur, founder, fashion designer, and public speaker. She founded Agent Provocateur with her then husband Joseph Corré in 1994 and Les Girls Les Boys in 2017.

Serena Rees
Born (1968-03-14) 14 March 1968 (age 56)
NationalityBritish
OccupationBusinesswoman
SpouseJoseph Corré (????–2007) divorced
PartnerPaul Simonon (2007–present)
Children1

Early life

edit

Rees was adopted at an early age by Indian parents; her birth mother was from Kashmir. Rees left school at age 16.[2] She was working as a model in Chelsea,[3] in 1992 when she met Joseph Corré, the son of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren.

Agent Provocateur

edit

Rees decided to open a lingerie store that would be filled with colourful and fashion-forward lingerie. The store opened in 1994 on Broadwick Street, Soho as a retail shop. Eventually Rees and Corre began designing their own line of lingerie as well.[4]

Agent Provocateur became a well known brand selling in 13 different countries and over 30 stores. Rees maintained a strict confidentiality policy which allowed celebrity clients to feel comfortable purchasing the products.[4] Rees made sure to cater to a celebrity clientele by enforcing a strict confidentiality policy. The brand often features celebrity models such as Kate Moss.[5]

Rees and Corre sold Agent Provocateur to private equity house 3i for £60m,[6] as part of their divorce settlement.[7]

Les Girls Les Boys

edit

Les Girls Les Boys is a men's and women's underwear, intimates and streetwear brand, founded by Serena Rees in May 2017.[8][9][10][11][12]

Other business ventures

edit

Rees then started Cocomaya, a bakery and chocolatier with several branches in London, where she resides with her daughter and partner Simonon.[13]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Researcha.co.uk - UK Company and Company Director Reports". Web.researcha.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  2. ^ Baker, Lindsay (29 August 2010). "How I make it work: Serena Rees". The Times. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Panty politics". 24 June 2007.
  4. ^ a b "Joe Corré and Serena Rees: Sex and the City - Profiles, People - the Independent". www.independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on May 2, 2011.
  5. ^ Wilson, Amy (2009-03-23). "Agent Provocateur says lingerie sales hold up". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  6. ^ Attwood, Karen (2007-11-16). "Agent Provocateur sold to private equity firm 3i for £60m - Business News - Business". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  7. ^ Libby Banks. "The millennials redefining sexy". Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  8. ^ "News Bites | Serena Rees' New Label, Goop to Pop-Up at Nordstrom". The Business of Fashion. 4 May 2017.
  9. ^ "Serena Rees Launches 'Les Girls les Boys' | Sidewalk Hustle". Archived from the original on 2017-05-17. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  10. ^ "Les Girls les Boys is the Unisex Underwear Brand You Need on Your Radar". Bustle.
  11. ^ http://www.theindustrylondon.com/agent-provocateur-co-founder-serena-rees-launches-new-label/
  12. ^ "Agent Provocateur co-founder Serena Rees to launch new label". 5 May 2017.
  13. ^ Interviews by Rhiannon Harries (2009-11-22). "How We Met: Joel Bernstein & Serena Rees - Profiles - People". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2012-02-23.