Kay Cohen
Encyclopedia
Kay Cohen is an Australian fashion designer and business woman based in Sydney
, Australia
. Cohen has lead a number of lingerie
design brands, most notably as Founder and Creative Director of Pleasure State and as General Manager and Creative Director of Elle Macpherson's Lingerie label Elle Macpherson Intimates, also Cohen is known as the inventor of the Biofit uplift bra.
) in nearby Wellington
, majoring in Clothing and Textile design. After graduation, she qualified and continued as a lecturer at the school, instructing fellow Australian Fashion Designer Collette Dinnigan
. The first 15 years of Cohen's career were spent designing fashion outerwear.
Cohen later qualified with an MBA from Heriot-Watt University
, Edinburgh
.
, in Brisbane
, Australia. At Triumph she was responsible for creative direction for brands including Triumph, Sloggi
, and introduced Valisere
to the Australian market. In 1997 Cohen returned to New Zealand and was appointed Group General Manager of Brands for the New Zealand Lingerie group Bendon. At Bendon, Cohen was known for her creative direction and successful reshaping of Elle Macpherson's Lingerie Label: Elle Macpherson Intimates as well as heading creative for labels Bendon, Bendon Man, Hey Sister and Expozay swim.
Intimates, the label was credited as the top fashion underwear brand in Australian and UK department stores.
In 1997 Cohen launched Macpherson Men, Elle Macpherson's mens underwear label which rapidly achieved commercial success in the Australian and New Zealand markets. The combined success of both Elle Macpherson Intimates and Macpherson Men prompted Bendon to increase the distribution of the Elle Macpherson underwear brands to the United Kingdom
. In 2001 it was announced that the label would be stocked in Selfridges
and House of Fraser
in their London
Stores.
In 2002, Cohen relaunched Expozay, a swimwear label employing Sophie Monk
, an Australian actress/model, as brand ambassador. (Cohen later worked with Monk for the launch of the Biofit Bra). Cohen's Expozay swim launch in Auckland
New Zealand also featured Jennifer Hawkins
two years before Hawkins won the Miss Universe
title.
In 2002 after the Bendon group was acquired by the Pacific Retail Group, Cohen was identified as the most likely successor to the incumbent CEO. Cohen remained in a design capacity as she was headhunted and relocated to Australia in early 2003 to head creative direction for the Berlei
Group, comprising brands: Berlei, Formfit, Hestia, Playtex and Wonderbra
. Within 6 months Cohen had become disillusioned by the prospect of putting new blood into old brands. Cohen perceived a niche in Lingerie design: a fusion of fashion, fit and function. By early April 2004 reports of an Australian Fashion Week
launch of Cohen's new luxury lingerie brand Pleasure State began to appear.
and Harrods
, Selfridges, Bentalls
, Liberty and House of Fraser in the United Kingdom.
crystal details, and are credited with originating this trend in lingerie design. The first collection was underpinned by wider bra straps and smooth-line tailoring, which became hallmarks of Pleasure State (now Pleasure State Couture). The fabrics included blends of pure silk with tactel and lycra, intended to enhance the performance of garments for everyday wearability, which are predominately sourced from France and Italy.
in Paris
and Victoria's Secret
. in the United States. By April of that year Cohen's designs were available in 45 Victoria's Secret stores across the US and was one of only 3 international designer Lingerie brands to be stocked alongside Victoria's Secret product. In November 2005 Cohen's label was available across Russia
in 90 Wild Orchid Stores and opened the retailers fashion show at the Moscow Manege
, quickly becoming their best selling brand. Within 2 Years of the brands launch, Cohen's label was available in 25 countries, and had launched its diffusion line Pleasure State White Label, renaming the high fashion Pleasure State: Pleasure State Couture. Pleasure State is currently available in 35 Countries and over 1000 stores globally.
Concurrently the brand shifted its Australian department store distribution to rival retailer Myer
with a national roll out of in store boutiques. Cohen's designs were further bolstered by celebrities Jessica Simpson
, Ashlee Simpson
(appearing in the garments at the 2006 MTV Australia Music Awards), Rhianna
and Anna Nicole Smith
. By mid 2007 Cohen's label was turning over more than $30 million per annum AUD, at this time Cohen announced the launch of the Biofit Bra.
history (Victoria's secret parent company). Cohen's innovation was to engineer a push up bra customized to each cup size, delivering a graduation of cleavage appropriate to the woman's bust size. Cohen again worked with Sophie Monk for the Australian Biofit launch, Monk appeared in a music video where she performed Push It, which was mastered by her then fiancee Benji Madden
. Due to the agreement with Victoria's secret, Biofit was subsequently renamed Myfit in the Australian Market.
Cohen merged Pleasure State with her former company Bendon in may 2010 , and has relinquished her interest in the company. Cohen is launching a new brand in Paris
early 2012 .
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Cohen has lead a number of lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
design brands, most notably as Founder and Creative Director of Pleasure State and as General Manager and Creative Director of Elle Macpherson's Lingerie label Elle Macpherson Intimates, also Cohen is known as the inventor of the Biofit uplift bra.
Early Life and Education
Cohen was raised on a farm and first discovered fashion at the age of 12. She attended Wellington Polytechnic (now Massey UniversityMassey University
Massey University is one of New Zealand's largest universities with approximately 36,000 students, 20,000 of whom are extramural students.The University has campuses in Palmerston North , Wellington and Auckland . Massey offers most of its degrees extramurally within New Zealand and internationally...
) in nearby Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, majoring in Clothing and Textile design. After graduation, she qualified and continued as a lecturer at the school, instructing fellow Australian Fashion Designer Collette Dinnigan
Collette Dinnigan
Collette Dinnigan is an Australian based fashion designer. Born in South Africa, Dinnigan moved to New Zealand, then Australia, where she obtained work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
. The first 15 years of Cohen's career were spent designing fashion outerwear.
Cohen later qualified with an MBA from Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Lingerie beginnings
Cohen transitioned to Lingerie design in 1992 when she joined Triumph InternationalTriumph International
Triumph International is an international underwear manufacturer. Founded in Heubach, Württemberg, Germany 1886 by the two families Spiesshofer & Braun. The first foreign subsidiary was established in Zurzach, Switzerland which...
, in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia. At Triumph she was responsible for creative direction for brands including Triumph, Sloggi
Sloggi
Sloggi is an underwear brand manufactured by Triumph International.-Links:* * *...
, and introduced Valisere
Valisere
Valisere is a lingerie brand of the German underwear company Triumph International.- Valisere - The heritage :Auguste Perrin founded leather glove manufacturer ‘Grand Perrin’ in 1860, and launched the Valisere line in Grenoble, France in 1913....
to the Australian market. In 1997 Cohen returned to New Zealand and was appointed Group General Manager of Brands for the New Zealand Lingerie group Bendon. At Bendon, Cohen was known for her creative direction and successful reshaping of Elle Macpherson's Lingerie Label: Elle Macpherson Intimates as well as heading creative for labels Bendon, Bendon Man, Hey Sister and Expozay swim.
Elle Macpherson Intimates and the Bendon Group
During her tenure as creative director of Elle MacphersonElle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...
Intimates, the label was credited as the top fashion underwear brand in Australian and UK department stores.
In 1997 Cohen launched Macpherson Men, Elle Macpherson's mens underwear label which rapidly achieved commercial success in the Australian and New Zealand markets. The combined success of both Elle Macpherson Intimates and Macpherson Men prompted Bendon to increase the distribution of the Elle Macpherson underwear brands to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In 2001 it was announced that the label would be stocked in Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
and House of Fraser
House of Fraser
House of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
in their London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Stores.
In 2002, Cohen relaunched Expozay, a swimwear label employing Sophie Monk
Sophie Monk
Sophie Charlene Akland Monk is a London-born Australian pop singer, actress and model. Monk was a member of female pop group Bardot and released a solo album Calendar Girl...
, an Australian actress/model, as brand ambassador. (Cohen later worked with Monk for the launch of the Biofit Bra). Cohen's Expozay swim launch in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
New Zealand also featured Jennifer Hawkins
Jennifer Hawkins
Jennifer Hawkins is an Australian beauty queen, model and television presenter best known as Miss Universe 2004 and the face of Australian department store Myer.-Early life:...
two years before Hawkins won the Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
title.
In 2002 after the Bendon group was acquired by the Pacific Retail Group, Cohen was identified as the most likely successor to the incumbent CEO. Cohen remained in a design capacity as she was headhunted and relocated to Australia in early 2003 to head creative direction for the Berlei
Berlei
Berlei is a brand of women's lingerie and in particular bras and girdles.-History:The brand originated in Australia in 1917. Berlei undergarments are now sold in Australia by Pacific Brands and in the United Kingdom by Courtaulds Textiles....
Group, comprising brands: Berlei, Formfit, Hestia, Playtex and Wonderbra
Wonderbra
The Wonderbra is a type of push-up underwire brassiere that gained worldwide prominence in the 1990s. Although the Wonderbra name was first trademarked in the U.S. in 1935, the brand was developed in Canada. Moses Nadler, founder and majority owner of the Canadian Lady Corset Company, licensed the...
. Within 6 months Cohen had become disillusioned by the prospect of putting new blood into old brands. Cohen perceived a niche in Lingerie design: a fusion of fashion, fit and function. By early April 2004 reports of an Australian Fashion Week
Australian Fashion Week
Australian Fashion Week is an annual fashion industry event showcasing the latest seasonal collections from Australian and Asia Pacific Designers...
launch of Cohen's new luxury lingerie brand Pleasure State began to appear.
Pleasure State
Cohen Launched Pleasure State at the Mercedes Australian Fashion Week 2004 in Sydney, with local fashion media voting Pleasure State as one of the top 10 shows of the 2004 Fashion week. Prior to launch the brand had been picked up by Australian department store David JonesDavid Jones Limited
David Jones Limited , colloquially known as DJs, is a high-end Australian department store chain.David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh immigrant, and is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating department store in the world still trading under its original name. It...
and Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
, Selfridges, Bentalls
Bentalls
Bentalls is an English department store chain with branches in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, and Bracknell, Berkshire. The well regarded 'county' department store began as a drapery shop, founded by Frank Bentall in 1867...
, Liberty and House of Fraser in the United Kingdom.
Fashion Week Launch Collection
The initial collection featured vintage French leavers laces and silks, complemented by the reintroduction of woven fabrics, opposed to traditional knits. The garments were accented with SwarovskiSwarovski
Swarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal and related luxury products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria...
crystal details, and are credited with originating this trend in lingerie design. The first collection was underpinned by wider bra straps and smooth-line tailoring, which became hallmarks of Pleasure State (now Pleasure State Couture). The fabrics included blends of pure silk with tactel and lycra, intended to enhance the performance of garments for everyday wearability, which are predominately sourced from France and Italy.
International Growth
By March 2005 Cohen's label had over 300 stockists globally, including department stores Galeries LafayetteGaleries Lafayette
- History :In 1893 Théophile Bader and his cousin Alphonse Kahn opened a fashion store in a small haberdasher's shop at the corner of rue La Fayette and the Chaussée d'Antin, Paris. In 1896, the company purchased the entire building at n°1 rue La Fayette and in 1905 the buildings at n°38, 40 et...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
. in the United States. By April of that year Cohen's designs were available in 45 Victoria's Secret stores across the US and was one of only 3 international designer Lingerie brands to be stocked alongside Victoria's Secret product. In November 2005 Cohen's label was available across Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 90 Wild Orchid Stores and opened the retailers fashion show at the Moscow Manege
Moscow Manege
Moscow Manege is a large oblong building which gives its name to the vast Manege Square, which was cleared in the 1930s, adjacent to the more famous Red Square...
, quickly becoming their best selling brand. Within 2 Years of the brands launch, Cohen's label was available in 25 countries, and had launched its diffusion line Pleasure State White Label, renaming the high fashion Pleasure State: Pleasure State Couture. Pleasure State is currently available in 35 Countries and over 1000 stores globally.
Concurrently the brand shifted its Australian department store distribution to rival retailer Myer
Myer
Myer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
with a national roll out of in store boutiques. Cohen's designs were further bolstered by celebrities Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
, Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
(appearing in the garments at the 2006 MTV Australia Music Awards), Rhianna
Rhianna
Robyn Hannah Louise Kenny professionally known as Rhianna, is an English R&B singer.-Early life:...
and Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith
In 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
. By mid 2007 Cohen's label was turning over more than $30 million per annum AUD, at this time Cohen announced the launch of the Biofit Bra.
Biofit Uplift Bra
Cohen's Biofit uplift bra had the biggest Bra launch in Limited BrandsLimited Brands
Limited Brands is an American apparel company based in Columbus, Ohio. In 2009 it reported 9.04 billion dollars in revenue for the last fiscal year.-History:...
history (Victoria's secret parent company). Cohen's innovation was to engineer a push up bra customized to each cup size, delivering a graduation of cleavage appropriate to the woman's bust size. Cohen again worked with Sophie Monk for the Australian Biofit launch, Monk appeared in a music video where she performed Push It, which was mastered by her then fiancee Benji Madden
Benji Madden
Benji Madden is an American guitarist and backup vocalist for the band Good Charlotte, which he co-founded with his identical twin brother, Joel Madden.-Early life:...
. Due to the agreement with Victoria's secret, Biofit was subsequently renamed Myfit in the Australian Market.
Cohen merged Pleasure State with her former company Bendon in may 2010 , and has relinquished her interest in the company. Cohen is launching a new brand in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
early 2012 .
External links
- http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/designers/kay-cohen/ Kay Cohen Profile Fashion Model Directory