Natalie Massenet
Founder of Net-a-Porter, co-founder of Imaginary Ventures
Natalie Massenet is the founder of Net-a-Porter, the London based online retailer that showed luxury fashion could be sold successfully on the internet. After leaving the business in 2015 she served as co-chair of Farfetch and in 2018 co-founded Imaginary Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in consumer and retail technology companies.
| Role | Co-founder, Imaginary Ventures |
|---|---|
| Founded | Net-a-Porter, 2000 |
| Net-a-Porter | Executive chair until 2015 |
| British Fashion Council | Chair 2013 to 2017 |
| Imaginary Ventures | Since April 2018 |
Who is Natalie Massenet?
Natalie Massenet is a fashion entrepreneur and investor best known for founding Net-a-Porter in London in 2000. At a time when many luxury brands doubted that customers would buy expensive clothing online, Net-a-Porter combined an editorial, magazine style presentation with e-commerce and became one of the defining luxury retailers of the digital era.
Career
Massenet built Net-a-Porter from a start-up into a global business. Richemont acquired a controlling stake in 2010, and she remained executive chair. The group launched the menswear site Mr Porter in 2011, later added beauty and introduced a print magazine. Massenet stepped down as executive chair in 2015, ahead of the merger of Net-a-Porter with Yoox that created Yoox Net-a-Porter Group.
From 2013 she also chaired the British Fashion Council, the industry body behind London Fashion Week, a role she held until the end of 2017. In 2017 she joined Farfetch, the luxury marketplace founded by José Neves, as non-executive co-chair.
In April 2018 Massenet and venture investor Nick Brown announced Imaginary Ventures, which closed a first fund of 75 million US dollars to invest in retail and technology start-ups across fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Reports at launch named companies such as Glossier and Everlane among its investments and noted limited partners from the fashion industry. Massenet remains a co-founder of the firm.
Influence on the fashion business
Net-a-Porter changed how the industry thought about selling luxury online. Its approach set expectations that have since become standard for premium e-commerce:
- Editorial content and shopping presented together.
- High service levels, fast delivery and premium packaging.
- Close partnerships with designer brands as wholesale suppliers.
- Separate, curated experiences for womenswear and menswear.
Through her board work and investing, Massenet has continued to shape which digital and direct to consumer business models receive capital and attention.
Natalie Massenet and technology
Massenet's career is closely tied to digital commerce. Net-a-Porter was one of the first luxury retailers built entirely online, and Imaginary Ventures was set up specifically to back retail technology companies, reflecting her view, as reported at launch, that technology would continue to reshape how consumers discover and buy products.
Why it matters
Natalie Massenet proved that luxury and the internet were compatible, years before most established houses accepted it. Her move from retailer to industry leader and investor makes her one of the most influential figures in the digital history of fashion.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Natalie Massenet?
Natalie Massenet is the founder of Net-a-Porter, the online luxury retailer she launched in London in 2000. She later chaired the British Fashion Council, served as co-chair of Farfetch and co-founded the venture capital firm Imaginary Ventures.
What is Imaginary Ventures?
Imaginary Ventures is a venture capital firm co-founded in 2018 by Natalie Massenet and Nick Brown. It closed a first fund of 75 million US dollars to invest in retail, fashion, beauty and lifestyle technology start-ups.