Agent Provocateur – Lingeriepedia

Agent Provocateur is a British lingerie retailer founded in 1994 by Joseph Corré and Serena Rees.

The company has 100 stores in 13 countries. In 2007, 3i, the private equity firm, purchased 80% of the company for £60 million.

History

1994: Early years

In 1994, Agent Provocateur was founded by Joseph Corré, the son of Vivienne Westwood, and his now ex-wife Serena Rees.The first store was opened in Soho on Broadwick Street.

The company sought to sell colourful and fashionable lingerie though began manufacturing a line of lingerie under the company’s name after failing to source via other brands.

2007: Purchase by 3i

After Corre’s and Rees’s divorce in 2007, Agent Provocateur was purchased by the private equity firm 3i for £60 million. Garry Hogarth is the current CEO.

Expansion

Following the takeover, the company expanded into 13 countries with over 60 stores. By March 2008, Agent Provocateur’s profits dropped 18% to £2.2 million due to the cost of expansion.

Products and marketing

Current products

Fragrances

In 2000, the company released their first signature fragrance called Agent Provocateur. Since then, the range has expanded to include more fragrances plus a selection of beauty products and cosmetics.

Marketing

Films

The company is famous for its provocative videos. Its most recent addition sees Melissa George of Home & Away fame, English model Chloe Hayward and American beauty Elettra Wiedemann all star in the John Cameron Mitchell-directed campaign, which urges women to control their own destinies (while wearing luxury AP lingerie, of course).

In December 2001, company produced a short film that caused controversy due to the film featuring Kylie Minogue riding a bucking bronco wearing the company’s underwear

Models

In previous years, these have included Kylie Minogue (2001) and Kate Moss in 2006 and 2008. Hollywood actress Maggie Gyllenhaal took over for supermodel Kate Moss as the new face for the line in 2007.

In January 2014, model Hailey Clauson is the focus of an ad campaign called “Behind Closed Doors,” which was photographed by Miles Aldridge.

Logo and wordmark

The original Agent Provocateur logo and wordmark were set from an existing over-the-counter typeface. As Corre’s venture grew from a single storefront in London to a worldwide brand, graphic design company House Industries were given the task of redrawing and expanding on the logo. Corre and Rees wanted something that was different and executed in a way that their competitors could not easily steal but also blended in with the existing logo. House Industries penned a flowing Spencerian wordmark as well as a racy and lacy leg logo for everything from tissue paper to fabric monograms.

Criticism

Agent Provocateur has had some of its advertisements banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom) for “being degrading to women.”