Natalie Massenet: Chairman of the British Fashion Council & Founder of Net-a-Porter

Natalie Massenet created the now ubiquitous online retail platform Net-a-Porter at her kitchen table in 2000. Credited with bringing high fashion to the web, Massenet remains the executive chair of the Net-A-Porter group, and since 2013 she has been the chairman of the British Fashion Council, actively reinvigorating London Fashion Week. Since she assumed the role, labels, including Manalo Blahnik and Smythson, have joined the schedule, and an innovative fashion design store, led by Massenet, has been set up inside Somerset House, seasonally operating in conjunction with LFW’s events. In February, the BFC chairman highlighted London’s commitment to fusing fashion with technology, screening footage from the season’s shows on sixty outdoor screens across the UK, with hopes to increase consumer engagement with the event.

Born in 1966 in California, to a journalist father and model mother, Massenet spent the majority of her childhood in Paris. She briefly lived in Los Angeles, where she moved at the age of twelve, and then temporarily in Madrid, when her father was a foreign correspondent with United Press. She went on to study English Literature at the University of California, and upon graduation, spent a year in Tokyo working as both a model and a stylist. With fashion and journalism firmly ingrained in her, Massenet proceeded to take on a role in publishing.

The idea for Net-a-Porter was in fact inspired by Massenet’s career in fashion journalism, which, interestingly, she has returned to in recent years, in the form of her own publications, The Edit and Porter Magazine. She began her career working for Women’s Wear Daily in 1991, before moving onto Tatler in London, after meeting her then husband, Arnaud Massenet. At Tatler, Massenet worked under celebrated fashion editor, Isabella Blow, gaining valuable insight into the field. Though she left the magazine to work freelance in 2008, Massenet never let go of her publishing mind-set.

She was keen to present looks in a similar manner to a fashion editorial, but with the revolutionary feature of allowing people to buy the appearing items directly and immediately. Net-a-Porter challenged the preconceptions of ecommerce by making online shopping simple and, crucially, elegant. It presented customers with an attractive selection of designer pieces, offering them numerous brands in one place, a concept which has now been repeated innumerable times. With garments and accessories photographed and styled as strikingly as they would be in a magazine, Massenet’s idea was to ultimately offer a comprehensive narrative with unrestricted access. Famously, when iconic American fashion house Halston re-launched in 2008, the brand agreed to sell two dresses on Net-A-Porter the day after their debut runway show.

Net-A-Porter has over six million unique visitors per month and sells 390 labels in 170 countries. In conjunction with the flagship website, the group also run hugely successful sports, menswear and discounted fashion channels. In 2015, Massenet sold her share of her fashion retail empire, merging with Italian online fashion retailer Yoox, but continues to play a vital role in the company’s decision making. At the time, Bloomberg reported that Massenet left with over £100 million following her sale. Notably, the entrepreneur received an MBE for services to the fashion industry in 2009, and, earlier this year, the ecommerce innovator was featured on Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list, 13 years after founding her £350 million company.

Though she is currently subject to a non-compete agreement that stops her from putting things into action until September 2016, Massenet seems to already be planning her next move, having recently registered a new company under the name Imaginary Ventures Ltd.

 

On why London is the ultimate fashion capital:

“I believe that London is really the greatest fashion capital in the world. London is the centre of creative talent, a hub of technological innovation and a vibrant business community – with Fashion Week at its creative and commercial heart – attended by thousands and watched by millions worldwide.” – Fashion United, 2016

On her aspirations for London Fashion Week:

“In New York everybody knows when Fashion Week is on – it feels like Fashion Week – I want it to be the same here.” – Vogue, 2013

On Net-a-Porter’s approach to buying:

“The assumption is that we are a commercial entity, so all our credibility and authenticity goes out the door. From the beginning everybody always said, “Well you’ll only write about the things that you buy – therefore there’s no editorial credibility.” Actually, no: we only buy the things we love and that we would have written about. Then we make sure the consumer can get it.” – 032c, 2014

On where she shops:

“I do almost all of my shopping online but I can’t replace Portobello Market. I love interiors shopping, and shops like ABC Carpet & Home in New York, and Restoration Hardware. I also love Colette in Paris for the way it edits the offer, and 10 Corso Como in Milan because it is very beautiful. I also love the Apple stores, Ocado and Amazon.” – Drapers, 2008