Fashion Founders: Natalie Massenet of Net-a-Porter
Fashion Founders: Natalie Massenet of Net-a-Porter
By: Claire Watkiss
With a background in journalism and a drive to change the fashion industry, Natalie Massenet successfully launched Net-A-Porter, an online luxury fashion retailer, out of her flat in Chelsea, London.
Born in Los Angeles to model Barbara Jones and journalist Robert “Bob” L. Rooney, Natalie Massenet grew up in Paris, France before returning to Los Angeles full time in 1976 following her parents divorce. Natalie started in fashion at the young age of 18 as an associate at a menswear shop in LA. She attended the University of California at Los Angeles where she studied English literature. From there Natalie took on the world of fashion by modeling and styling in Tokyo. Natalie had a few other jobs, such as being a receptionist at Universal Studios as well as working for the Italian magazine Moda, beginning her journalism career. Massenet then went on to work at Women’s Wear Daily and Tatler before starting to freelance full-time.
In 2000, Natalie walked away from her journalism career in order to launch Net-A-Porter. Her goal was to sell high-end fashion in a magazine format online. This idea came to her when she was attempting to source clothing online for a fashion shoot. While the website was questioned by various designers and investors at first, in 2001, Rouland Moulet’s collection was featured on the site, and by 2004 Net-A-Porter was profitable. From there the company took off and was sold to Richemont, a Switzerland-based luxury goods holding company for roughly 50 million euros.
Massenet has not stopped since. Following the sale of Net-A-Porter, she became the chairman of the British Fashion Council in 2013, and took on the role of overseeing London Fashion Week. She then joined Farfetch in 2017 as a non-executive co-chairman. In 2018, she co-founded a Venture Capital Fund called Imaginary Ventures alongside Nick Brown.
Acknowledged by Vogue as “revolutionizing the way we buy designer clothes,” Net-A-Porter has successfully allowed consumers to buy the latest in luxury fashion online. The website has continued to grow with Mr. Porter being launched, offering consumers menswear options along with a beauty section online. The company also has its own print magazine, Porter, which was launched in 2014.
Massenet is a great example of a pioneer of innovation in an ever changing industry. In her own words, “positivity is like a muscle: keep exercising it, and it becomes a habit.”
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