Sam Roddick

Sam Roddick
Born 1 July 1971[1]
Rustington, Sussex, England
Occupation Entrepreneur
Known for Businesswoman, founder of Coco de Mer, and Bondage For Freedom
Children Osha, daughter[2]
Parent(s) Gordon Roddick
Anita Roddick
Website
www.coco-de-mer.com

Samantha "Sam" Roddick (born 1 July 1971) is the founder of Coco de Mer a British lingerie brand and retail store.[3] She is the daughter of Body Shop founder and activist Anita Roddick.

Early life and education

Roddick is the younger daughter of Anita and Gordon Roddick.[3] She was educated at Summerlea Primary School and then at Frensham Heights in Surrey until she was asked to leave at age 16.[1][4] She gained only two O-Levels due to having undiagnosed dyslexia.[1][4] On leaving Frensham, the mother of a schoolmate suggested she work with her in Nepal, which is where her activism began.[3][4]

Early activism

Roddick's early activism included talks, fundraisers and projects worldwide.[1][5][6] In addition, she set up Cockroach, a youth magazine; and taught art in Vancouver.[1]

Coco de Mer

In December 2001, Roddick opened Coco de Mer in Covent Garden's Monmouth Street with an evening hosted by Dave Stewart, and a fly-poster campaign by Saatchi and Saatchi.[2][3][7][8] In 2004 Roddick was prevented from copyrighting the Coco de Mer name by French fashion designer Coco Chanel, the lawsuit citing the similarity in product range and name.[9][10][11]

In 2011 the brand was purchased by British sex shop Lovehoney.[4][12] In April 2014 former La Perla brand director Lucy Litwack was appointed as managing director of the company.[13]

The Coco de Mer name comes from a palm seed from the Seychelles, the largest seed in the world.[2] The seed is said to resemble a woman's buttocks.[2][8]

Bondage For Freedom

Bondage for Freedom was founded in 2008, focusing on fighting for human and environmental rights.[14] It had worked on a number of projects, including the 1994 Rwandan Genocide; the release of the "Angola Three"; preventing sex-trafficking; and colony collapse disorder.[14][15][16][17]

Television

Roddick is an advisor on The Joy of Teen Sex.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Macalister, Terry (14 January 2005). "Interview: Sam Roddick, owner of Coco de Mer". The Guardian (London: GMG). ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Steele, Jemima (2011-10-10). "Sam Roddick". The London Magazine. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Smith, Andrew (8 December 2001). "Interview: Sam Roddick | From the Observer | The Observer". The Guardian (London: GMG). ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Stanford, Peter (8 March 2013). "Sam Roddick: Mum's work is finally done - I'm delighted". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  5. ↑ Macalister, Terry (2005-01-15). "Ethical erotica". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  6. ↑ Cavendish, Lucy (2004-05-17). "Fair trade kinky cuffs". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  7. ↑ Slowe, Kat (2011-08-10). "Interview: Coco de Mer founder Sam Roddick". Lingerie Insight. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jay, Adam (12 November 2001). "Roddick's daughter tunes in to a different body business". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  9. ↑ "The Chanel Sex Case". Vogue. 2004-05-18. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  10. ↑ Wigham, Helen (2011-05-11). "May 11 - On this day in history...". Vogue. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  11. ↑ Murray-West, Rosie (11 May 2004). "Sex shop loses its battle with Chanel over Coco brand". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  12. ↑ Goldfingle, Gemma (2011-11-22). "Lovehoney acquires erotic retailer Coco de Mer". Retail Week. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  13. ↑ Geoghegan, Jill (2014-04-30). "Coco de Mer appoints former La Perla brand boss as managing director". Drapers. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Sevier, Laura (14 March 2009). "Q & A: Sam Roddick, activist & founder of Coco de Mer". The Ecologist. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  15. ↑ Szu Ping Chan (2011-01-07). "Sex and the sitting room". Financial Times. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  16. ↑ "Just Add Stock winner, Reports". Eye Magazine. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  17. ↑ Pool, Hannah (2008-07-24). "Question time: Sam Roddick". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-11-19.

External links