Agent Provocateur swimwear 2010

Agent Provocateur is a British lingerie retailer founded in 1994 by Joseph Corré and Serena Rees. The first shop was opened on London's Broadwick Street in the Soho district in 1994. Since then, the company has opened 30 stores in 13 countries across the globe including cities such as London, New York, Vancouver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Paris, Vienna and Berlin. In 2007, Agent Provocateur was purchased by the private equity house 3i for £60m

Agent Provocateur was founded by Joseph Corré, the son of Vivienne Westwood, and his now ex-wife Serena Rees in 1994. The first store was opened in Soho with aims of selling high-end lingerie.

Rees tired of seeing women dress in drab under garments came up with an idea to start a lingerie store that was filled with colorful and fashion forward lingerie. The couple initially set out to sell the best lingerie from around the world. After not finding enough of what they liked, the couple decided to create their own brand.

Rees, along with Corre, developed a strict confidentiality agreement to protect their clientele. The brand since its inception has been widely received by the celebrity community as a result use celebrity models for most of their advertising campaigns.

After Corre's and Ree's divorce in 2007, Agent Provocateur was purchased by the private equity house 3i for £60m. The company is currently run by Garry Hogarth.

Following the take over, the company expanded into 13 countries with over 30 stores. By March 2008, Agent Provocateur's profits dropped 18pc to £2.2m because of the cost of expansion