We fitted lingerie to businessmen and had racy advertisements banned, says Agent Provocateur CD
WHEN we think of Agent Provocateur, we think of sex, scandal and rock ‘n’ roll.
The brand was launched in 1994 by a married couple who felt dejected by the colorless knickers being flogged on London’s high streets.
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Now, thirty years after its launch, it has been the eye of countless media storms, controversies and sensational rumors.
Sarah Shotton, Creative Director of the raunchy brand, has confirmed exactly what was going on behind the scenes in the roaring 1990s.
And yes, businessmen really went into the shops to buy size 10 stockings for themselves.
Agent Provocateur was launched in 1994 by Joseph Corre and then wife Serena Rees.
They set up their first boudoir style store in the heart of Soho, London – an area with a reputation for sex and scandal.
Soho was the perfect backdrop for their bold designs – and it’s where the brand cemented its sensational image.
But it’s no surprise it was a success considering Joseph’s mother is fashion king Vivienne Westwood.
Sarah started working on the floor with Joseph and Serena in the 1990s, when she was in her early twenties.
“About two weeks after I joined, I went to the store to buy some underwear,” she recalls.
“It transformed me… I felt great.”
In the mid-1990s, Agent Provocateur cemented its position as an edgy retailer for luxury lingerie and sexy products, such as masks, massage oils, whips and nipple tassels.
Over the years, Sarah has been the creative vision behind AP’s spirited shoots and breathtaking campaigns.
They have featured supermodels Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Abbey Clancy.
Some of these campaigns caused enormous controversy.
Confessions of an Agent Provocateur
Agent Lolita of the British lingerie company shared her AP confessions to The Sun in 2016…
“The rules were that you had to have your bra and suspenders visible at all times,” she said.
“Agent Provocateur attracts all kinds of customers, and celebrities love it too. David Beckham was a regular visitor, picking up gifts for his wife Victoria.
“In my time I have served stars such as Claudia Schiffer, Gwen Stefani, Noel Gallagher and his wife Sara.
“So did David Walliams, who got so excited that he fell for one of the boutique’s managers, a 6ft tall model called India.
“Many celebs don’t have to pay at all. In every Agent Provocateur Boutique there is a list of names who get their knockers for free. Whips, blindfolds and nipple tassels were also handed out for free to horny stars.
“Surrounded by lingerie all day, the main topic of conversation was usually sex, and we entertained each other even in the quiet hours by reading erotic literature and taking pictures of each other in different outfits.
“Two of the girls even had a secret romance, mainly in the warehouse.
“Many girls were always up for a party and bragged about household names, partly because being an Agent Provocateur girl made it easy to get into a nightclub.
“What promoter wouldn’t want a group of gorgeous lingerie-flashing exhibitionists on their guest list?”
In 2001, a provocative advert featuring Kylie Minogue was deemed too sexual for television and banned.
In the X-rated video, the pop star rides a red velvet mechanical bull in lace stockings and suspenders while screaming.
“It was especially fun in the 1990s because it was a wild time,” Sarah recalled on Abbey Clancy’s podcast, Exhibit A.
“It was hilarious and it was just a crazy mix of customers.”
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“Everyone came in, everyone wanted to be part of it – and our doors were open to everyone,” continues creative mastermind Sarah.
“We all learned to try on lingerie for everyone.
“Men in suits came in and asked for size 10 stockings.”
Sarah sold and tried on lingerie for everyone from housewives and taxi drivers to rock stars and MPs.
We have all learned to try on lingerie for everyone. Men in suits came in and asked for size 10 stockings
Sara Shotton
“Everyone has a little bit of Agent Provocateur inside them – I really believe that – and it’s about unlocking it,” she adds.
Sarah, who has climbed the ladder at the brand throughout her adult career, describes the stores as “Willy Wonka for adults”.
And it turned out the boutique staff – known for their pink uniforms designed by the late Vivienne Westwood – were just as mischievous as the customers.
“There were a lot of shenanigans in the 1990s,” Sarah reveals.
“You know, the store opened in the middle of the night because no one could come home, so we slept in the store.”
The 1990s saw a lot of shenanigans
Sara Shotton
AP got into trouble again in 2012 with an ad in which models in peephole bras and suspenders “kidnapped” a woman.
With pounding music, the woman runs in a desperate attempt to escape the invaders, before being converted by the models and emerging in a sexy ivory underwear set.
The two-minute video promoting the brand’s Soiree Gold collection was deemed ‘misogynistic and disturbing’ by one complainant.
But the Advertising Standards Authority cleared it for broadcast.
‘There have been a few [campaigns] which have been quite controversial,” says Sarah.
“But brilliant and iconic – absolutely iconic.”
