Profile: Joseph Corre of Agent Provocateur

The son of punk legends Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, Joseph Corre blazed a trail with saucy underwear chain Agent Provocateur - and said knickers to an MBE.

So this is how it ends for Tony Blair. Not with the cheers and tears of a grateful nation, "but with calumny and condemnation from a knicker salesman", says the Daily Express. After "wrestling" with his conscience, Joseph Corre, co-founder of Agent Provocateur (pictured with fellow founder, Serena Rees), has rejected the MBE he was awarded for services to British industry, citing the lies Blair told over Iraq. "I felt that I couldn't accept the honour from a dishonest man. And Tony Blair is a dishonest man," he wrote, signing off: "Knickers forever!"

Corre's headline-grabbing protest was a publicity masterstroke, unsurprising given his parentage. Malcolm McLaren, his father, "has built a career on sedition", says the Daily Mail. His mother, Vivienne Westwood, made iconoclasm a fashion statement. Joe, 39, grew up surrounded by the "bizarre paraphernalia" of his parents' trade as "the mother and father of punk". It didn't harm his business prospects. Agent Provocateur, the "trail-blazing" lingerie firm he launched in 1994 with then-girlfriend Serena Rees, is "British business at its best", says The Times. Corre inherited his design skills from his mother and a temper from his father. "There's always a risk element with Joe, and you certainly never want to be in a room when he loses his temper," says his friend Alex James of the band Blur Corre had to be wrestled to the ground at James's wedding after trying to punch the bride's father.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up
MoneyWeek

MoneyWeek is written by a team of experienced and award-winning journalists, plus expert columnists. As well as daily digital news and features, MoneyWeek also publishes a weekly magazine, covering investing and personal finance. From share tips, pensions, gold to practical investment tips - we provide a round-up to help you make money and keep it.