Biography. Karen Millen brand: when cheap sells dear Karen millen brand history
Karen Millen is a world-famous fashion designer for women. Her brand specializes in designing extremely elegant collections, both for solemn events, and for everyday wear, which are distinguished by a complex cut that allows you to create an amazing close-fitting silhouette. Dresses from Karen Millen are worn by film industry and modeling stars, among them - Eva Longoria (Eva Longoria) from "Desperate Housewives" (Desperate Housewives), Elisabeth Moss (Elizabeth Moss) from "Mad Men" (Mad Men), Tamara Taylor (Tamara Tylor) ) from Bones and Kate Beckinsale from Pearl Harbor.
In addition, "Karen Millen" is a huge network fashion stores located not only in the UK (Great Britain) and the USA (USA), but also in almost all European countries - Ireland (Ireland), Germany (Germany), Switzerland (Switzerland), France (France), Spain (Spain), Denmark (Denmark), Austria (Austria), Greece (Greece), Romania (Rumania), Bulgaria (Bulgaria), etc. The East is represented by Turkey (Turkey), Egypt (Egypt), Saudi Arabia(Saudi Arabia), Kuwait (Kuwait), United Arab Emirates (United Arab Emirates). Asia - Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Thailand (Thailand), Malaysia (Malaysia) and Singapore (Singapore). The post-Soviet space is represented, first of all, by Ukraine (Ukraine) with stores in Kyiv, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk (opening is expected). There are stores of this brand even in Australia (Australia) and New Zealand (New Zealand), and the only continent whose inhabitants can consider themselves deprived is still South America(South America).
The company was founded in 1981 when Karen Millen, a recent graduate of the College of Art (she studied there from 1979 to 1981), along with Kevin Stanford, the financial brain of the entire operation and an engineer by training, got into debt for 20 thousand pounds sterling, bought a thousand meters of snow-white cotton fabric and launched the production of white shirts. Shirts were sold out at lightning speed - first by friends and acquaintances, then by acquaintances of acquaintances, and then quite independent buyers appeared. Karen and Kevin got married and became partners not only in business, but also in family life. In 1983 they opened their first store in Kent, followed by stores in Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Guildford and finally London, the starting point of their triumphant processions around the world. In 2004, the brand was acquired by Mosaic Fashions, in 2009 it was taken over by Aurora Fashions, which owns five other fashion brands.
If 30 years ago Karen Millen started with the creation of cotton shirts, today the company's assortment includes dresses, skirts, blouses, tops, trousers, jeans, knitwear, swimwear, all kinds of jackets, coats and raincoats. In addition, Karen Millen produces its own brand of shoes, bags and accessories. Creative Director Gemma Metheringham oversees a group of 12 designers who prepare two main and two side collections for the start of each season.
As for Karen Millen herself, she combines work with raising three children. They broke up with Kevin; for a while, rumor attributed to her a relationship with football star Sol Campbell (Sol Campbell).
Karen Millen boutiques in Ukraine
Kyiv: TC Globus, TC Bolshevik, TC Sky Mall
Dnepropetrovsk: Shopping Mall Caravan, Shopping mall Most-City, Odessa Deribasovskaya, 16
Karen Millen is a global fashion designer for women. Her brand specializes in designing extremely elegant collections for both formal occasions and everyday wear, featuring intricate cuts to create a stunning fitted silhouette. Dresses from Karen Millen are worn by film industry and modeling stars, among them - Eva Longoria (Eva Longoria) from "Desperate Housewives" (Desperate Housewives), Elisabeth Moss (Elizabeth Moss) from "Mad Men" (Mad Men), Tamara Taylor (Tamara Tylor) ) from Bones and Kate Beckinsale from Pearl Harbor.
In addition, "Karen Millen" is a huge network of fashion stores located not only in the UK (Great Britain) and the USA (USA), but also in almost all European countries - Ireland (Ireland), Germany (Germany), Switzerland (Switzerland ), France (France), Spain (Spain), Denmark (Denmark), Austria (Austria), Greece (Greece), Romania (Rumania), Bulgaria (Bulgaria), etc. East is represented by Turkey (Turkey), Egypt (Egypt), Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait (Kuwait), United Arab Emirates (United Arab Emirates). Asia - Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Thailand (Thailand), Malaysia (Malaysia) and Singapore (Singapore). The post-Soviet space is represented primarily by Russia (Russia) with stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan), Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan), Latvia (Latvia) and Ukraine (Ukraine). There are stores of this brand even in Australia (Australia) and New Zealand (New Zealand), and the only continent whose inhabitants can consider themselves deprived is South America (South America).
The company was founded in 1981 when Karen Millen, a recent graduate of the College of Art (she studied there from 1979 to 1981), along with Kevin Stanford, the financial brain of the entire operation and an engineer by training, got into debt for 20 thousand pounds sterling, bought a thousand meters of snow-white cotton fabric and launched the production of white shirts. Shirts were sold out at lightning speed - first by friends and acquaintances, then by acquaintances of acquaintances, and then quite independent buyers appeared. Karen and Kevin got married and became partners not only in business, but also in family life. In 1983 they opened their first store in Kent, followed by stores in Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Guildford and finally London, the starting point of their triumphant processions around the world. In 2004, the brand was acquired by Mosaic Fashions, in 2009 it was taken over by Aurora Fashions, which owns five other fashion brands.
If 30 years ago Karen Millen started with the creation of cotton shirts, today the company's assortment includes dresses, skirts, blouses, tops, trousers, jeans, knitwear, swimwear, all kinds of jackets, coats and raincoats. In addition, Karen Millen produces its own brand of shoes, bags and accessories. Creative Director Gemma Metheringham oversees a group of 12 designers who prepare two main and two side collections for the start of each season.
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The English brand combines conservatism and luxury; in its assortment you can find evening dresses and elegant casual clothes. Now Karen Millen releases about eight collections a year. And it all started once with simple white shirts ...
The brand was born in 1981. College of the Arts Graduate Karen Millen and an aspiring businessman with an engineering background Kevin Stanford purchased a fair amount of feet of pure white cotton. From this material, Karen sewed white shirts by hand, which in the blink of an eye dispersed among her acquaintances and among her acquaintances.
According to legend, the number one hundred contributed to the birth of the brand: Karen and Kevin had a hundred pounds to sew one hundred white shirts.
Then Karen and Kevin made a few more circles: they bought fabric, sewed things (gradually expanding the range), sold them and bought fabric again. Karen designed and sewed not only shirts, but also other items of clothing. For example, dresses. In particular, in a few years the brand will become famous for them.
Where to find evening and cocktail dresses at not exorbitant prices, with a "human" dimensional grid? Many answer: Karen Millen.
A few years later, Karen and Kevin had the money to open their first shop. Karen hired assistants, and financial side still in charge of Kevin. Then the young people got married.
The business was successful: in six years, the couple opened five more boutiques.
Remembering how it all began, Karen likes to repeat that she sewed clothes for herself: glamorous, high-quality, emphasizing femininity and grace. The mannequins that stood in the windows says Karen, it's me.
Until 2004, Karen was responsible for design, and Kevin solved all issues as a manager. In 2004, Karen Millen merged into another, larger company, but did not lose its individuality. Design at Karen Millen is now handled by a team of fifteen fashion designers led by creative director Gemma Metheringham.
Karen and Kevin have three children. Just the founders famous brand dispersed. The children stayed with Karen.
Karen still lives where she opened her first store in Kent. He has been actively involved in charitable projects for a long time, supporting victims of HIV, difficult teenagers, and cancer patients.
Anti-advertising article. There is a brand of clothing that causes my antipathy and bewilderment. Antipathy - by its ugliness, and bewilderment - by its popularity. I think one look at the pictures is enough to recognize Karen Millen.
Her things cannot be confused with anything, somehow she manages to create everything - from shoes to evening dresses- in one, unpleasant style. The best minds are struggling to create a recognizable image and memorable design for different companies, and Karen Millen managed it effortlessly. Its secret is simple: always use bad and cheap materials, but pseudo-luxurious texture and color, more low-quality fittings, and most importantly, do not deviate from super-sexy silhouettes.
Satin bandage
Karen Millen's favorite fabric is satin, which in English is called satin. From this, at least half of her things are sewn. This satin is always slightly stretchy, otherwise how to fit a woman in all directions. And the close-fitting, tight as an elastic bandage, is the trademark of the brand.
Since this effect cannot be achieved with one material, her dresses have many darts (roughly made), vertical and horizontal seams, straps and belts.
Overloading with details and fittings is another hallmark of the Karen Millen brand. The clothes are covered with chrome buttons and buttons with a logo, stitched with zippers, including purely decorative ones, buckles and spikes. This alone does not make it possible to make a mistake in the belonging of a thing. You see a tight dress with dozens of nickel-plated buttons - she is Karen Millen!
Lots of bad hardware
Tight and richly decorated, she even has “rocker” leather jackets and "military" coats. In general, she is very fond of leather - naturally, it is a rich material, shiny and conspicuous (a brand that uses a lot of leather always raises questions).
All in shape
Karen Millen also has a lot of "office" things. They are no different from cocktail dresses, except that the satin is replaced with another rubber fabric: cotton, wool or, more often, synthetics. As the unforgettable Del Boy said: “Genuine polyester!” I'm often asked to recommend books or movies, so I wholeheartedly recommend my favorite English sitcom, Only Fools and Horses.
Not to be confused with anything
Incidentally, even natural fabrics Karen Millen's are bad and cheap. But things are not, not cheap. Rather, their price does not match their quality, and the quality is a claim. What does this mean? First: for the money you can find better things. Second: high-quality things, the declared image, should cost much more. Roughly speaking, for $200 you can’t buy a good satin cocktail dress, but you can buy another useful thing like a shirt. A satin dress will cost much more. The same applies to leather items, and Karen Millen's favorite crochet, and other "expensive" materials.
KAREN MILLEN was founded in 1981 by Karen Millen and Kevin Stanford.
The history of the company began in 1981 with 100 British pounds. It was for this amount that the founders, Kevin Stanford and Karen Millen, purchased 100 m of white cotton, from which they sewed shirts. They were immediately sold out by friends and acquaintances. Then the partners created a whole collection, albeit a small one, but so successful that it was then followed by another and another…
So the new brand formed a whole circle of admirers. And just two years later, in 1983, the first KAREN MILLEN store opened in Mainestone, Kent. And finally, the first store in London! It was opened on King's Road in 1989. Trade was going so well that the partners were able to make a profit even during the general economic downturn that was observed at that time. Moreover, Kevin Stanford and Karen Millen have opened new stores in Broomley and Great Marlborough.
Period from 1991 to 1998 can be described as a rapid movement forward towards the popularity that KAREN MILLEN enjoys now among English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese women.
“At KAREN MILLEN, we have created a variety of women's pieces and accessories that are always focused on unique details.” GEMMA METHERINGHAM co-owner KAREN MILLEN
KAREN MILLEN delivers affordable luxury and achievable design while maintaining continued brand awareness through effortless charm, signature cuts and attention to detail, ensuring KAREN MILLEN promotes its stylish designs around the world, whether it's a perfectly tailored office wear, a flamboyant dress or luxury leather jacket.
An unusual vision of the brand's style is created by bold solutions combined with a touch of glamor in ordinary things that attract women all over the world.
The house-studio and design team create high-quality commercial items that meet high standards. They pay attention to every detail from branded buttons and expensive suits to shop window dressing.
KAREN MILLEN epitomizes modern glamour, for dynamic, energetic women who can be sure they look great and don't have to scream to be noticed. Perfect fit combined with high quality at affordable prices allows you to create collections of clothing and accessories that have a unique style recognized throughout the world. The collections are inspiring and designed for an international audience, which allows the brand to be popular all over the world.
Working on collections, KAREN MILLEN focuses on the attitude to fashion and the lifestyle of her customers. KAREN MILLEN women are active, love to travel and closely follow fashion. Usually they are: successful business woman, trendy brand managers, stylish housewives. Naturally, they need more thoughtful clothing interesting design than is usually seen in stores. Especially for these women, KAREN MILLEN contributes to everyday life elements of luxury, so that in the morning - for work, in the evening - for a presentation.
While KAREN MILLEN is known to many for its sophisticated apparel, the company is also known for its accessories. Not so long ago, the brand KAREN MILLEN introduced its line of watches. In a short time these fine jewelry gained unprecedented success among fashionistas around the world.
KAREN MILLEN accessories are based on a combination of style and convenience, which is clearly seen in the current range of watches.
In the new line, watches are presented in all colors and shapes, but their design is in line with modern fashion trends. Many watches are square in shape with a solid bezel. The effect of whole and fashion jewelry and not just a practical mechanism.
In the design of almost all watches are used SWAROVSKI crystals to emphasize feminine style features
All KAREN MILLEN watches use quartz movements, but offer a huge selection of varieties of clasps and straps made of high quality materials, genuine leather or stainless steel and are great for long-term use.
All in all, a KAREN MILLEN watch is an excellent accessory. Combining classic elegance, modern style and practicality, they are a must have for every woman in every corner of the globe. The watch will certainly get better and better, remaining desirable for many years.
KAREN MILLEN watches are manufactured under license by the largest watch concern INTER-CITY GROUP (ICG).
The company is a leading supplier of watches, sunglasses, jewelry and others fashion accessories. The company was founded in Birmingham (UK) in 1981.
The main office is located in Brisbane (Australia), as well as offices in New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong and China. Today, INTER-CITY GROUP is a manufacturer of watches of such brands as KAREN MILLEN, French connection, Fcuk, Police, Morgan, Superdry, Roamer, Tendece, Swiss Military Hanowa, Gio-Goi, Firetrap, Umbro, Oasis, LipsyLondon, Next, River Island, Dorothy Perkins.
The KAREN MILLEN watch is an excellent accessory. It combines classic elegance, modern style and practicality. Every woman in every corner of the globe should have them.
