Karen Millen was founded in 1981 by business partners Kevin Stanford and Karen Millen. With a loan of just £100, the pair bought one hundred metres of white cotton and began manufacturing and selling white shirts to their friends. A party plan network followed and in 1983 they opened their first store in Kent which was later followed a few years later by branches in Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Guildford and London.

The brand continued to expand throughout the Nineties until it was acquired in June 2004 by Mosaic Fashions Ltd which also owns Oasis, Coast and Whistles, Warehouse, Principles and Shoe Studio. Today the group operates under the umbrella of Icelandic firm Bauger - one of the most formidable forces in fashion retail.

Ethical trading

Mosaic Fashions is committed to upholding international labour standards within our supply base, as set out in our Code of Conduct. We believe all workers in our supply chain must be treated with dignity, respect and fairness. Mosaic Fashions is working with our suppliers to ensure our Code is effectively enforced, using both our internal auditing team of Ethical Trading specialists and independent auditors.  To this effect we recently joined SEDEX, an organisation which allows retailers to share factory audit information. We have also just completed a further review of our ethical sourcing policies which has resulted in a number of cross-brand initiatives to ensure there are positive and tangible benefits to workers.   

Karen Millen brings a designer approach to the high street dressing confident, glamorous women in polished, fun and feminine clothes. Trends are given a chic spin and always echo the brand’s original core values and vision. The label’s signature knits, coats, polished tailoring and stunning eveningwear focus on beautiful fabrics and immaculate finishes. The brand prides itself on its individual, well-made pieces that transcend the seasons.

Today the Karen Millen studio is headed up by Creative Director Gemma Metheringham who oversees a team of twelve designers that work solely on the label’s ready to wear, accessories and lingerie collections.

The team produces two main collections and two transitional collections each season - within each collection are eight stories that cover day, work, occasion and week-end. Everything in the collections is designed in-house from the lace used in the label’s famed eveningwear to the embossed hardware on the statement bags. In-house pattern cutters complete the team and help to perfect the flattering fit for which the brand is famed.

It is this hands-on approach that helps to maintain Karen Millen’s reputation as one of the most individual and recognisable brands on the British high street and beyond.

The company’s global presence now stretches across 29 countries from the UK to Russia, Asia and Australia. There are 110 stores and this autumn new branches are being launched in New York, Moscow and Hong Kong.