Serena Rees

Serena Rees (born 14 March 1968)^[1] is a British businesswoman best known for cofounding Agent Provocateur with her then husband Joseph Corré.

Early life

An adopted daughter of Indian parents, Rees was working as a model in Chelsea,^[2] when in a nightclub in 1992 she met Joseph Corré, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's son.

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 colourful and fashion-forward lingerie. In partnership with Corré, a former employee of his mother's business, in 1994 the two partners opened Agent Provocateur on Broadwick Street, Soho. This was a pure retail shop which bought-in stock, and neither business partner initially had any intentions of designing lingerie. However, after having difficulties finding attire they liked, they started their own line.^[3]

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.^[3] 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.^[4]

After Rees left Corré for ex-Clash bassist Paul Simonon in 2007, the to-be divorced couple agreed in the same year to sell Agent Provocateur to private equity house 3i for £60m.^[5]

Les Girls Les Boys

Les Girls Les Boys is a men’s and women’s underwear, intimates and streetwear brand, founded by Serena Rees in May 2017.^{[6][7][8][9][10]}

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.^[11]

References