Lingerie Brand: Agent Provocateur

Agent Provocateur a high end lingerie store was founded by Joseph Corré and his wife Serena Reese in 1994. When they oppened their first store in Soho, they searched the world for items that they considered different from the same old poor quality and drab lingerie found in most lingerie stores. They wanted to find lingerie that was both colorful and fashion forward. After an exhaustive search they struck out, not finding anything that lived up to the high standards they were setting. Undaughted, the couple decided to design their own lingerie line.

Celebrities loved the new look that the Reeses had come up with and flocked to the store. To accommodate the new clientele Joseph and Serena came up with a strict confidentiality agreement that was designed to protect people who purchased lingerie. As word of the confidentiality the store offered spread, so did its' popularity with celebrities. Celebrities Paris Hilton, Fern Britton, and Carmen Electra all proudly admit to loving the brand.

The celebrity link to Agent Provocateur inspired a like minded advertising campaign in which Agent Provocateur almost exclusively used celebrity models in their ads. The celebrities in these ads along with the sexual nature of them that pushed limits made them instant viral advertising successes on the internet. Celebrities who have appeared in the ads include pop singer Kylie Minogue, Kate Moss, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Adding to their successful lingerie brand the couple came up with a signature fragrance, which they aptly named Agent Provocateur. After, the fragrances success they launched several other fragrances, beauty products, and cosmetics. In recent years, the line has continued to grow. The Agent Provocateur line now includes various types of nightwear like slips, dresses, and t-shirts, as well as bathing suites, sunglasses, and hosiery. They even carry a full line of accessories like masks, jewelry, book, and games.

Agent Provocateur huge success can be measured by the way it has become part of popular culture. In fact, the brand has become such a huge success that it was featured in the books Adrain Mole: The Cappuccino Years and Bridget Jones' Diary. Agent Provocateur was even mentioned in the popular movie Burlesque.

In 2007, the couple divorced. Seeing the chance to get a great company, the equity house 3i bought it from them for £60 million. Garry Hogarth was put in charge of Agent Provocateur and decided the time was right to expand the company. Agent Provocateur now has a total of 30 stores spread across 13 countries. Their newest location is in the fashion capital of Milan.

All this expansion cost a lot of money and in 2008 company profits were down 18 percent to £2.2 million. However, a company is beloved by celebrities and normal people alike is Agent Provocateur is sure to recover and be dressing women in fashion forward lingerie for years to come.