Draft:Karen Millen (fashion designer)
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Karen Millen OBE (born 29 September 1961) is a British fashion designer, the co-founder and former Creative Director of eponymous fashion brand Karen Millen, established in 1981.[1]
Early life and education[edit]
Millen born in Maidstone, Kent, is the third of four children. Raised in a family where financial constraints were navigated with creativity, her mother, a secretary, and her father, a carpet fitter, instilled resourcefulness, prompting Millen's early foray into clothes-making.
From a young age, Millen displayed an interest in fashion, crafting clothes for her dolls and later creating garments for herself. Dissatisfied with the mainstream fashion options, she began making shirts for friends.[2]
Karen attended Medway College of Art where she studied fashion design, graduating in 1981 at age 19.
Fashion career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Upon graduating, she entered into a business venture with her then-boyfriend, Kevin Stanford, securing a £100 bank loan. Operating from their kitchen table, they started producing and selling shirts, gradually expanding to markets and boutiques.
By 1983 the journey led to the acquisition of their first store in Maidstone.[3] The initial product line focused on tailoring, reflecting Millen's personal fashion preferences—trousers, shirts, and bold-shouldered blazers.[citation needed]
Slow, organic growth ensued, with shops in opening in Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, and Guildford over a 10-year period.[citation needed]
Growth[edit]
In 1990, amid a recession, an opportunity arose for businesses to occupy vacant shops in London with offered premiums. Due to the company's minimal debt resulting from its organic growth, Millen seized the opportunity to set up a store in Chelsea. With significant growth over the following 10-year period, by 2000 the brand had a stores in Europe, North America, Canada, Far East and Middle East, and by 2004 the company had a turnover of over £65 million.[4]
Sale[edit]
In June 2004 Karen stepped down as Creative Director and sold the business to Mosaic Fashions.[5] The company has since passed through numerous hands and Millen has had no association with the company.
Personal life[edit]
At the age of 19, Karen met Kevin Stanford, together they founded Karen Millen whilst raising three children. Following their separation in 2004, Millen and Stanford sold their business, both moving onto other projects. Karen redirected her focus towards philanthropy, founding the charity Teens Unite Fighting Cancer in 2007[6] and collaborating with Hope HIV and the University of Creative Arts to establish The Gateway School of Fashion in 2008.[7]
Millen was honoured with an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2008 for her services to fashion.[8] Recognising her achievements and contribution to the fashion community, women in business and the UK high street.
In 2015, Millen entered into litigation with the Karen Millen brand over the use of her name, resulting in restrictions preventing her from associating herself, or her name, with any future business endeavours.[9]
Millen was declared bankrupt in 2017, Millen expressed her distress over the bankruptcy, attributing it to the collapse of Kaupthing, the Icelandic bank that supported the 2004 deal, rather than solely to her own financial decisions.[10]
In 2023 Millen made a return to fashion, collaborating with the eponymous brand for "The Founder" collection.[11]
Honours and awards[edit]
Millen was awarded
- Order of The British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours for services to the Retail Industry[12]
- 2006 Hon DArt (Doctor of Arts) issued by De Montford University[13]
- 2002 Honorary Fellowship issued by Kent Institute of Art & Design[14]
References[edit]
- ^ "About Us at karenmillen.com". Karenmillen UK. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "Karen Millen The Founder Interview | Karen Millen". www.karenmillen.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "Who's that girl?". The Independent. 17 June 1997.
- ^ "KM REALISATIONS (2009) LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ Finch, Julia (26 June 2004). "Karen Millen founders sell out to Oasis for £70m". The Guardian.
- ^ "Our Story and Vision". Teens Unite.
- ^ "Gateway School of Fashion - Project Gateway". www.pguk.org.uk.
- ^ "New Year's Honours 2008: CSV - GOV.UK". assets.publishing.service.gov.uk.
- ^ Curry2016-08-24T16:09:00+01:00, Josephine. "Opinion: Why the court was right to judge Karen Millen can't use her name". Retail Week.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Wood, Zoe (1 April 2017). "How Karen Millen lost the battle for her name – and her fortune". The Observer.
- ^ Burke, Jade (4 May 2023). "Why Karen Millen has returned to her eponymous label". Drapers.
- ^ "New Year's Honours 2008: CSV - GOV.UK".
- ^ "De Montfort University Graduation Brochure". specialcollections.catalogue.dmu.ac.uk.
- ^ Explored, UCA Archive (18 June 2015). "Karen Millen Zandra Rhodes Medway Standard article 2nd July 2002".