Natalie Massenet joins Farfetch as co-chairman

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Feb 28, 2017

Farfetch Group has tapped celebrated fashion pioneer, Natalie Massenet, who founded Net-A-Porter in 2000, as non-executive co-chairman of the London-based luxury fashion platform.

She will partner with the company’s founder and CEO José Neves to continue to push the consumer experience further with her proven business acumen and intuitive feel. Her focus will be on growing the brand globally and strengthening its partnerships with the fashion industry.

Massenet’s appointment is a nearly perfect fit, as both Farfetch and Net-A-Porter shared a vision of how fashion and technology can work together to amplify the consumer experience.

"I have, since Net-A-Porter launched, been a huge admirer of Natalie, she really is THE undisputed pioneer, paving the way for the rest of us by demonstrating that not only could luxury be sold online but also that the internet would eventually become the primary way consumers engage with brands, globally,” said Neves.

When Massenet created Net-A-Porter.com, it was the first luxury fashion shopping online store. The following decade saw her build the company into a retail and media luxury shopping giant encompassing TheOutnet.com, MrPorter.com PORTER Magazine and the social shopping platform the NETSET.

She announced her departure from the Net-A-Porter Group ahead of the merger with Yoox in September of 2015. She was awarded an MBE and made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her contribution to the UK fashion industry and sits as chairman of the British Fashion Council since 2013.

"I am honoured and excited to support José and the Farfetch team as they continue to build a unique vision of what the future of fashion and technology looks like. What Farfetch has done to rewrite the rulebook on how technology can work alongside bricks and mortar to elevate the customer experience stands out in the industry - when José asked me to come on board it was an opportunity I couldn't turn down," said Massenet.

Farfetch Group has been going from strength to strength in the past year, reporting a 70% rise over the 12 months to 31 December 2016 based on the value of goods traded across the platform.

In the three months ending 31 December the core marketplace delivered significant underlying profitability and the core market place grew traded merchandise value by 75%.

In April, the business is planning to reveal the technology behind its new concept ‘Store of the Future’ at an event in London.