Agent Provocateur

Agent Provocateur first opened in Broadwick Street, Soho, London in 1994. It was founded by Joseph Corre (the son of Vivienne Westwood) and Serena Rees. I have always been intrigued as to what it was about this brand that made it seem ok to spend £150 on something that is essentially an undergarment. After visiting the store I realised that it was not so much the actual item of clothing that made it special to receive, but the fact that the company has so cleverly branded itself that purchasing underwear from their store became more of an exciting experience than a necessity. In fact I think the underwear itself is more of a souvenir that you will keep as a memory of the time you spent buying it and something you will probably hardly ever wear. The reason for my thinking of this is that the store itself is so enchanting; it is a shop unlike any other where you are spoilt by both the shop assistants and the luxury of the interior. Everything is so over adorned and you feel special being there because it is not the kind of place that you could go ordinarily and usually buying something as mundane as underwear is a quick and easy process that takes place in Marks and Spencers. Agent Provocateur has been so successful that it now has stores in 13 countries around the world and their underwear has been purchased and modeled by numerous A list celebs; including Kylie Minogue, Kate Moss and Paris Hilton. The shops originally sold very plain styles of underwear that were always enhanced by the stores unique style of individualism, it was in fact similar to the Vivienne Westwood store SEX on the Kings Road. I found the store to be an inspiration as it made me think about how creating an aura and atmosphere around a brand could lead to something being so much more successful and sought after than another similar product. I am interested in branding and fashion identities and I think this store truly epitomises how much successful branding can really do for a company.