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Serena Rees

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

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.

Early life

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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

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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

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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

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

References

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  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.