For a long time, Agent Provocateur held the title as the UK's most desirable luxury lingerie brand. Founded in 1994 by Vivienne Westwood's son, Joe Corre, the label pushed boundaries, selling daring, high-end underwear that was brazenly sexual. It subverted outdated male fantasies and placed women in the dominant position.
'When we launched we focused the brand on being extremely sexy and overt,' said the label's long-standing creative director, Sarah Shotton. 'It was about pleasure and providing women with something that wasn't out there in the market. I had always had trouble finding bras that fitted, and also lingerie that made me feel special, sexy and confident.'
Agent Provocateur's campaigns were among the sexiest in fashion, featuring Kate Moss, Kylie Minogue and Maggie Gyllenhaal all in various states of empowered déshabillé. The 2001 Minogue campaign, in which the pop star orgasmically rode on a mechanical bull, was so raunchy that it was banned from being shown on television. The brand represented a certain wave of feminism where women reclaimed their power through harnessing the symbols previously used to objectify them and laughing in their face. When Beyoncé announced that she was expecting twins in July 2017, she did so in a burgundy Agent Provocateur bra.
So when news broke in March last year that the brand was entering administration, many were surprised. A number of stores were closed and founder Corre - who had left back in 2009 - said that the sale of the company would mean job losses. The business was eventually bought by Four Holdings, a firm part-owned by Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley.
For Shotton, it was a frustrating time. She says the label's former owner, 3i, were 'grappling with accounting irregularities which had made the company appear more successful than it was'.
'At the same time that we were going into administration, the sales were soaring, and Beyoncé announced her pregnancy in our Lorna bra, so it was very frustrating,' she told us. 'I had lots of positive messages from fans of the brand when we were going through the sale process. I think a lot of people were pleased to see we were still going as there really isn't another lingerie brand like Agent Provocateur.'
It's been a period of change for the label with a company operational restructuring; talent, retail, franchise partnerships and market are all key focuses. However, the design team has remained the same and the owners haven't been involved in the aesthetic of the label.
'In terms of creativity and product, nothing has changed on that front,' says Shotton. 'There is now no interruption in the design process which makes for good creative and fashion-forward lingerie. The owners know the brand; they've been real fans of the brand since the '90s.'
What is new is the emphasis on reduced price points (AP has always been on the eye-wateringly top end of the price bracket), which will broaden its customer base without alienating its current clientele.
'What's really exciting is that we have introduced more entry price ranges, which are appealing to the younger customer who are looking for that inspirational piece to wear as outerwear, for themselves or in the bedroom,' says Shotton. 'Recently we have witnessed a shift of wearing lingerie as outerwear, and how women and men can express themselves through fashion. This includes our swim ranges, nightwear and ready-to-wear.'
The company is also working with Harrods to offer a new concession concept that seemingly marks a new direction for the label - far from the intimidatingly dark finishes that characterised its previous stores, the space will be airy, feminine and inviting, with shades of pink taking precedent. While AP's re-appropriation of male fantasies felt empowering back in the 90s and 00s, times have evolved - and the brand is making moves to step up to the plate.
Agent Provocateur's latest spring/summer 2018 campaign reflects a different tact for the label. Lighthearted and playful, it sees Barbara Palvin head to a nudist hotel where she convinces the all-female guests that AP underwear is the way forward. Men barely feature and gone is that male voyeuristic brand signature that would be problematic in a Time's Up world. It's a stark contrast to the label's overtly erotic, dimly lit campaigns of old.
'Agent Provocateur has always been about pushing the boundaries, but also evoking humour and cheekiness,' muses Shotton. 'With everything going on right now, our visit to this nudist hotel full of liberated 'hip cats' is obviously not at all serious. It's as silly as it is fun, and bursting with sunlight and colour. Lingerie doesn't have to be serious. It should be fun and playful and empowering.'
Next year marks the brand's 25th anniversary, which will be celebrated with 'very exciting' plans. Two decades after its inception, having weathered ups and downs, it truly sounds as if Agent Provocateur has moved ahead to a new era.
'I love Jennifer Lawrence; I think she is the perfect AP woman in every way,' says Shotton. 'Ultimately our dream AP woman is strong, intelligent and knows what they want. We feel every woman has a bit Agent Provocateur in her.'
