brand overview

BRAND OVERVIEW
ABOUT
OUR BRAND
Born and bred in England, Karen Millen
is known globally for creating beautifully crafted fashion for confident women who know
their own style.
Each piece of our collection has been
individually designed, hand-crafted and
perfected by the designers in our in-house
atelier to deliver our signature quality and
attention to detail. From couture-inspired
techniques to luxurious heritage fabrics,
every KM garment has a story to tell.
Under the creative direction of our CCO,
Gemma Metheringham, the range has
become a curated collection of perfectly cut
trend-led and investment pieces offering an
elevated, tailored approach to fashion. Truly
international, Karen Millen has stores in over
65 countries across six continents including
flagship stores in London’s Knightsbridge and
New York’s Fifth Avenue.
KAREN MILLEN
WOMEN
The Karen Millen woman has both style
and substance; she’s memorable with a
strong character and wears pieces that
reflect and enhance her personality. She’s
confident in the way that she dresses and
puts things together and she wants to feel
the quality and craftsmanship in everything
she wears.
OUR
ESSENCE
At Karen Millen, we are quality obsessed
and design driven. Known for our polished
and tailored approach to fashion, we create
versatile staples for the modern, urban woman
with an effortless, elevated approach.
The antithesis of throwaway fashion, we strive
to produce beautifully designed trend-led
investment pieces you will treasure. It’s about
how you feel, how your body moves in our
clothes and how they feel to the touch. We
understand that luxury is indulgent.
Unwrapping a beautiful piece of clothing and
putting it on, feeling amazing when you wear
it; that’s what it’s all about.
OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
MIKE SHEARWOOD
Since joining the newly independent Karen Millen as CEO in March
2013, Mike has overseen the brand’s evolution and expansion on its
journey to becoming an international fashion house.
During his time at Karen Millen, he has driven business from Dubai
to Hong Kong via Mexico and has been instrumental in rolling out
flagship stores in London’s Knightsbridge and New York’s Fifth Avenue to reflect our
current brand aesthetic. Karen Millen trades in six continents from over 400 stores in
cultural and fashion capitals around the world, and derives over 60% of its sales from
international markets making it a truly global and accessible luxury fashion brand.
Mike was previously CEO of Aurora Fashions, comprising of the brands Coast, Oasis
and Warehouse, alongside Karen Millen. Prior to this, he was UK and Ireland Managing Director of the Inditex Group consisting of Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti,
Bershka, Stradivarius and Zara Home, having joined in January 2000 as Managing
Director for Zara.
In his spare time, Mike is a keen rugby player, speaks fluent Spanish and enjoys
spending time with his wife and 6 children. He has held various senior roles at Vision
Express and is a qualified optician. Mike is also passionate about supporting young
talent and sits on the advisory board to the British Fashion Council.
OUR CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
GEMMA METHERINGHAM
Chief Creative Officer at Karen Millen, Gemma Metheringham is the
creative force behind the brand. Having joined Karen Millen as Design
Director in 1999, she began seeking a new design direction for the
widely-known eponymous British brand alongside her team, re-shaping
its identity, changing its perception and overseeing its rise to become a
coveted international fashion house.
During her tenure, she has overseen the brand’s successful evolution, working with
the most experienced talent in British fashion to create a new direction and aesthetic;
“The Autumn Winter 13 and Spring Summer 14 campaigns were game changers for
me. Working with Bailey and Katy England has had an inspirational effect both inside
and outside the business”. Creating a new retail concept for the brand’s flagship stores
in London’s Knightsbridge and 5th Avenue further marked a new chapter in the label’s
development, garnering an incredible response both creatively and commercially but she
remains most proud of “the team we’ve built and the culture we’ve created. It’s a very
collaborative effort”.
For Gemma, “it all starts with the clothes and making people feel great”. Indeed, her
approach to creating high quality investment pieces is something that resonates globally.
Today, Karen Millen trades in over 67 markets across six continents, with stores in cultural
and fashion capitals around the world, and over 60% of the brand’s sales now come from
outside the UK. It is success that has won Gemma plaudits from her peers – she has been
commended in Draper’s Top 100 People in Fashion, while the University of Hertfordshire
recently awarded her an Honorary Award and Fellowship.
The emotional touch point of the brand, Gemma takes a hands-on approach to her role;
“Fashion is constantly changing. I’m constantly watching what people are buying and
how this is evolving”. She sits alongside her team within the design studio overseeing
all creative aspects of the business; “I’m absolutely involved in every step of the design
process”, she says, “from the stories that shape each collection to the prints, fabrics, cuts,
buttons and trims that finish it. Without our product we don’t have a brand, so I’m never
far from the atelier. Our limited-edition embroideries are crafted from up to 1.3 million
embroidery stitches and can take up to 24 hours to produce. Creating the best possible
pieces is an addiction”.
Gemma is also passionate about championing emerging talent, sitting on board of the
BFC and working with Graduate Fashion Week to help burgeoning designers get a
start in the fashion industry. She supports FAD who mentor and develop under privileged
children and has long been committed to nurturing skill, starting the Karen Millen graduate
protégé scheme which gives graduates an invaluable insight into one of the most stimulating and fast-moving sectors of the industry.
In her downtime, she enjoys gardening at home in Hackney, cooking with her husband
and has a passion for theatre.
OUR
ATELIER
Housed in our Shoreditch headquarters, our
Atelier is intrinsic to the way we design and
create our collections at Karen Millen. Every
piece starts with a sketch in our design studio
and the entire creative process takes place
in-house.
This direct personal connection between our
designers and pattern cutters creating a first
toile together enables us to perfect our focus
on tailoring and pattern cutting and ensures
we deliver our incredible quality and attention
to detail.
THE CRAFT
As a design led brand, it’s all about the detail:
our limited-edition embroideries are crafted from
up to 1.3 million embroidery stitches and can
take up to 24 hours to create. Printed designs are
meticulously hand cut so the pattern placement is
just-so. Pattern pieces can take up to 3 hours of
hand cutwork per garment and all of our jeans
are frayed by hand. From traditional loom-woven
lace and jacquards from France to textured tweeds
and leather from Italy, our fabrics are sourced from
Europe’s leading cloth mills, hand-picked for their
focus on fine craftsmanship and artisan skill. We
regularly collaborate with our mills to create original fabrics that are exclusive to us to ensure you
can wear a truly unique garment, and a covetable
investment piece.
KM MAP
Our global presence continually grows
across many new and diverse markets.
Between own buy and franchise stores
you can shop KM worldwide, from
Morocco to Moscow, Thailand to
The Big Apple, where will you see
KM next?
424 STORES IN 63 COUNTRIES, ACROSS 6 CONTINENTS
CANADA
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST
Canada 1
Armenia 1
Azerbaijan 3
Austria 1
Bahrain 1
USA
Belgium 4
Jordan 2
USA 35
Bulgaria 3
Kazakhstan 2
Cyprus 2
Kuwait 5
CENTRAL AMERICA
Czech Republic 2
Lebanon 4
Chile 1
Denmark 5
Saudi Arabia 10
Mexico 11
Estonia 2
Qatar 3
Panama 1
Finland 1
UAE 9
Puerto Rico 1
France 32
Germany 7
FAR EAST
AFRICA
Holland 15
Hong Kong 6
Egypt 4
Iceland 2
Indonesia 6
Libya 1
Latvia 2
Macau 2
Morocco 2
Lithuania 2
Malaysia 4
South Africa 1
Luxembourg 2
Mongolia 1
Malta 1
Philippines 1
RUSSIA
Monaco 1
Singapore 3
Moscow 13
Norway 1
Taiwan 1
Rostov 3
Poland 2
Thailand 5
St. Petersburg 5
Portugal 2
Vietnam 2
Sub Regions 9
Romania 2
Slovakia 1
AUSTRALIA & NZ
CHINA
Spain 38
Australia 21
China 5
Sweden 4
NZ 1
Switzerland 4
UK & IRELAND
Turkey 6
UK 78
Ukraine 7
Ireland 9
LONDON
NEW YORK
PARIS
DUBAI
LONDON SELFRIDGES
INTERNATIONAL
FLAGSHIP STORES
LOS ANGELES
HONG KONG
LONDON KNIGHTSBRIDGE
USA NEW YORK 5TH AVE
MOSCOW
AW13 & SS14
GAMECHANGERS
Captured by iconic British photographer David
Bailey and styled by fashion visionary, Katy
England, the Autumn Winter 13 and Spring
Summer 14 campaigns focused on the Karen
Millen brand evolution through a series of
portraits that captured the diverse personalities
of new model faces that were on the brink of
global success, each wearing stand-out fashion
pieces from the collection. Reflective of our
new pared back aesthetic, the clothes and
models took centre stage creating a fresh visual
identity that has helped to redefine the brand.
KATY ENGLAND
DAVID BAILEY
AW14
THE JOURNEY
Our AW14 collection was a celebration of
London’s distinctive style and creativity, an
evocative snapshot of the energy and dynamism of the location surrounding our Shoreditch
atelier in London’s East End.
Shot against the London skyline, our
campaign and its accompanying film
The Journey, featured Sophie Turner from
Game of Thrones alongside emerging
British models Lara Mullen, Rosie Tapner
and Brogan Loftus, all shot by Glen
Luchford and styled by Katy England.
SS15
A NEW EASE
Shot in sunny Downtown Los Angeles,
our Spring Summer 15 campaign captures
fleeting moments in the Karen Millen woman’s
world through a series of images shot by
Glen Luchford and styled by Katy England.
Starring models Georgia Hilmer, Alewya
Demmisse and Irene Hiemstra, it captures the
energy of our cast and their individual style.
Telephone House,
69 - 77 Paul Street,
London, EC2A 4PN
Tel: (+44) 207 452 1000
KARENMILLEN.COM