Serena Rees
British businesswoman (born 1968)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Serena Rees MBE (born 14 March 1968)[2] 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 | 14 March 1968 |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Spouse | Joseph Corré (????–2007) divorced |
| Partner | Paul Simonon (2007–present) |
| Children | 1, model Cora Corré[1] |
Early life
Rees was adopted at an early age by Indian parents; her birth mother was from Kashmir. Rees left school at age 16.[3] She was working as a model in Chelsea,[4] in 1992 when she met Joseph Corré, the son of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren.
Agent Provocateur
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.[5]
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.[5] The brand often features celebrity models such as Kate Moss.[6]
Rees and Corre sold Agent Provocateur to private equity house 3i for £60m,[7] as part of their divorce settlement.[8]
Les Girls Les Boys
Other business ventures
Rees then started Cocomaya, a bakery and chocolatier with several branches in London, where she resides with her daughter and partner Simonon.[14]