Agent Provocateur (lingerie)
Lingerie company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Agent Provocateur is a British lingerie retailer founded in 1994 by Joseph Corré and Serena Rees.[2] The company has stores in 13 countries.[3]
| |
 Agent Provocateur's first store, on Broadwick Street, Soho, London | |
| Type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Apparel |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founders | Joseph Corré Serena Rees |
| Headquarters | London , England, United Kingdom |
| Key people | Sarah Shotton (Creative director) |
| Products | lingerie, sleepwear, hosiery, swimwear, accessories, outerwear, fragrances |
Number of employees | 600[1] (2017) |
| Website | https://www.agentprovocateur.com |
History
1994–2007
In 1994, Agent Provocateur was founded by Joseph Corré, the son of Vivienne Westwood, and his then-wife Serena Rees. The first store opened in Soho on Broadwick Street.[4]
The company sells colourful and fashionable lingerie.[5] Joseph Corré is the designer for the brand.[6]
2007–2017
In 2007, after the divorce of Corré and Rees, 3i, a private equity firm that invests in mid-size companies,[7] purchased 80% of the company for £60 million.[2][8]
Between November 2007 and March 2009 the company opened 13 shops, expanding to the US, Russia, Dubai and Hong Kong.[9] By March 2008, Agent Provocateur's profits dropped 18% to £2.2 million due to the cost of expansion.[9]
Garry Hogarth stepped down as CEO in February 2016.[10]
In March 2017, the business entered administration.[1] As part of a "pre-pack" deal, it was purchased by Four Holdings, a company one-third owned by British businessman Mike Ashley's Sports Direct International who reportedly paid around "£25m after seeing off competition from private equity firm Lion Capital."[1] Its US business entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy the following month, with US stores also being sold to Four Holdings.[11]
Marketing
The company is known for its provocative videos. Australian actress Melissa George, English model Chloe Hayward and American model Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann appeared in a John Cameron Mitchell-directed campaign, which urged women to control their own destinies while wearing the company's lingerie.[12]
In December 2001, company produced a controversial short film featuring Kylie Minogue riding a velvet bucking bronco while wearing the company's underwear to prove that their lingerie brand is the most erotic according to the male viewers.[13][14][15]
In the 2000s, the brand's annual revamp of its website, first by Wax New Media[16] and then Large Design,[17] became an industry benchmark.
In 2006, Mike Figgis directed a short film for Agent Provocateur starring model Kate Moss.[18]
Other models have included actress Maggie Gyllenhaal in 2007,[13][19] British model Daisy Lowe in 2008,[20] and model Hailey Clauson in a 2014 ad campaign photographed by Miles Aldridge.[21] In January 2019, the brand hired plus-size model Charli Howard to front their Valentine's Day campaign, entitled "A Love Letter To Myself".[22]
Logo
The original Agent Provocateur logo and wordmark were set from an existing over-the-counter typeface. As Corré’s venture grew, graphic design company House Industries redrew and expanded on the logo. They penned a flowing Spencerian wordmark as well as a racy leg logo for products including tissue paper and fabric monograms.[23]
Criticism
Agent Provocateur had some of its advertisements banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom) for "being degrading to women."[24][25]
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many Western companies curtailed their operations in Russia.[26] According to Agent Provocateur's Russian website[27] there are 10 Agent Provocateur franchise stores still operating in Moscow, leading to claims that the company is helping to finance Russia's war in Europe.[28]
Agent Provocateur said that the stores are "operated by franchisees under franchise/license agreements" according to "a system established by the previous owner of the business, many years ago" and that the company itself "does not 'operate' in Russia."[29]