June Kenton is a British businesswoman who owned Rigby & Peller for 29 years. She received the official Royal Warrant at the time of her purchase of the company in 1982. [1] Since then she has fitted several members of the British royal family, and several well-known actresses and entertainers.
Kenton and her husband purchased Rigby & Peller in 1982 for £20,000. Rigby & Peller were awarded a Royal Warrant on the establishment of their store in 1939, but this did not transfer to, and it was awarded separately to her when she bought the business in 1982. [2] In August 2011, they sold an 87 percent stake of the firm to Van de Velde for £8 million. Kenton remained on the board of the company, with her son David. [3]
After Kenton developed breast cancer, she created a line of lingerie specifically for mastectomy patients. [4] She discovered prosthetists were making prosthetics based on the size of the bra the woman believes she is wearing is correct and thus created her own line of corrected-fitted lingerie for mastectomy patients. [5]
She also rebranded Rigby & Peller, expanding to seven different locations worldwide including the US and Dubai. [6] [7] She provided all the underwear and swimwear for How to Look Good Naked by Gok Wan as well as the movie Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. [8]
Kenton's clients have included Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother, the Countess of Snowdon, Princess Margaret, Diana, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, [9] Kim Kardashian, Joan Collins, Jessie J, Lady Gaga, [10] Cherie Blair, Dawn French, [11] Scarlett Johansson, and Jo Brand.
Her autobiography Storm in a D Cup was to be published by Troubador (publishers) at the end of 2017. [12]
Kenton was awarded an honorary degree from Leeds Metropolitan University "in recognition of her lifelong services to the British intimate apparel industry. [13] She also has a Lifetime Achievement Award from the UK lingerie industry. [14]
Kenton was one of the speakers at the 2012 MT Inspiring Women Conference [15] and a charity evening for Jewish Child's Day in March 2017, entitled Fit for a Queen. [16]
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, was a member of the British royal family. She was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, the sister of kings Edward VIII and George VI, and aunt of Elizabeth II. In the First World War, she performed charity work in support of servicemen and their families. She married Henry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles, in 1922. Mary was given the title of Princess Royal in 1932. During the Second World War, she was Controller Commandant of the Auxiliary Territorial Service. The Princess Royal and the Earl of Harewood had two sons, George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, and The Honourable Gerald Lascelles.
Catherine, Princess of Wales is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne.
Fortnum & Mason is an upmarket department store in Piccadilly, London, with additional stores at The Royal Exchange, St Pancras railway station, Heathrow Airport in London and K11 Musea In Hong Kong, as well as various stockists worldwide. Its headquarters are located at 181 Piccadilly, where it was established in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason. Today, it is privately owned by Wittington Investments Limited.
Angela Rosalind Runcie, Baroness Runcie was a classical pianist and the wife of Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury.
American pop singer Britney Spears has developed and endorsed a number of products; these have included books, video releases, video games, dolls, clothing, and perfumes. In 2000, Spears released a limited edition of sunglasses titled Shades of Britney. In 2001, she signed a deal with shoe company Skechers, and a $7–8 million promotional deal with Pepsi, their biggest entertainment deal at the time. Aside from numerous commercials with the latter during that year, she also appeared in a 2004 Pepsi television commercial in the theme of "Gladiators" with singers Beyoncé, Pink, and Enrique Iglesias. On June 19, 2002, she released her first multi-platform video game, Britney's Dance Beat, which received positive reviews. In March 2009, Spears was announced as the new face of clothing brand Candie's. Dari Marder, chief marketing officer for the brand, explained why they choose the singer, saying, "everybody loves a comeback and nobody's doing it better than Britney. She's just poised for even greater success." In 2010, Spears designed a limited edition line for the brand, which was released in stores in July 2010. In 2011, she teamed up with Sony, Make Up For Ever and PlentyofFish to release her music video for "Hold It Against Me", earning her $500,000 for the product placement. Spears also teamed up with Hasbro in 2012 to release an exclusive version of Twister Dance, which includes a remix of "Till the World Ends". The singer was also featured on a commercial, which was directed by Ray Kay, to promote the game. Spears was also featured on the commercial of "Twister Rave" and the game included a Twister remix of "Circus". In March 2018, it was revealed that Spears would be the face of Kenzo, a contemporary French luxury clothing house.
HerRoom is an online lingerie and men's underwear retailer based in Dallas, Texas. It was founded and is owned by Tomima Edmark, inventor of the TopsyTail. Edmark runs both HerRoom and brother site HisRoom, through her company, the Andra Group LLP.
The history of bras is closely tied to the social status of women, the evolution of fashion, and shifting views of the female body over time.
Bra size indicates the size characteristics of a bra. While there is a number of bra sizing systems in use around the world, the bra sizes usually consist of a number, indicating the size of the band around the woman's torso, and one or more letters that indicate the breast cup size. Bra cup sizes were invented in 1932 while band sizes became popular in the 1940s. For convenience, because of the impracticality of determining the size dimensions of each breast, the volume of the bra cup, or cup size, is based on the difference between band length and over-the-bust measurement.
Michelle Georgina Mone, Baroness Mone, is a Scottish businesswoman and Conservative life peer. She has set up several businesses, including MJM International Ltd in 1996 and the lingerie company Ultimo along with her then husband Michael Mone. Other ventures include naturopathic 'weight-loss' pills, and a fake tan product via Ultimo Beauty.
A bra, short for brassiere or brassière, is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover women's breasts. A typical bra consists of a chest band that wraps around the torso, supporting two breast cups that are held in place by shoulder straps. A bra usually fastens in the back, using a hook and eye fastener, although bras are available in a large range of styles and sizes, including front-fastening and backless designs. Some bras are designed for specific functions, such as nursing bras to facilitate breastfeeding or sports bras to minimize discomfort during exercise.
Candice Susan Swanepoel is a South African model and philanthropist. She is known for her work with Victoria's Secret. She became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2010. In 2016, she was listed 8th on the Forbes top-earning models list.
The Goring Hotel is a 5-star hotel in Belgravia, London. It is located near Buckingham Palace. Its restaurant, The Dining Room, holds one Michelin Star.
Van de Velde nv is a publicly traded company that designs and manufactures luxury lingerie. It's headquarter is located in the Belgian town of Schellebelle and (Wichelen). The company was founded in 1919 by Achiel and Margaret Van de Velde and is still owned by the same family.
Rigby & Peller is a British luxury lingerie brand and retailer. The company was founded in 1939 by Gita Peller, a Jewish Hungarian refugee who settled in London, and Bertha Rigby, an English corsetière, with a shop in South Molton Street in London's West End. As of 2011, they had seven stores as well as a website.
The UK Lingerie Awards are held annually in the United Kingdom to present awards to key individuals from the British lingerie industry, including designers and retailers. The awards are organized by the lingerie industry magazine Lingerie Insight.
True & Co. is an American online lingerie startup, headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Seraphine is an international maternity fashion label and store. The company was founded by French-born designer Cecile Reinaud in 2002. Seraphine is based in London and has stores in Dubai, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States and France. Its clothing is sold around the world through various boutiques and online.
Cornelia James is a firm of British glovemakers, founded in 1946, and with a Royal Warrant since 1979. The company has been managed by Genevieve James Lawson, daughter of the late Cornelia James, since 1999.
Cornelia James, was a British glovemaker and businesswoman. Born in Vienna, Austria, to a Jewish family, James emigrated to the United Kingdom during the Second World War and founded her eponymous firm of glovemakers in 1946, which now holds a Royal Warrant.