LONDON, Feb. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Farfetch Group announces that Dame Natalie Massenet, Founder of the Net-A-Porter Group and Chairman of the British Fashion Council, will join the Board of Directors as non-executive Co-Chairman of Farfetch, partnering with Jose Neves, CEO, Founder and executive Co-Chairman of Farfetch to continue to revolutionise the way the world shops for luxury fashion.
Massenet, one of the true pioneers of the luxury fashion industry, will bring her proven business acumen, intuitive feel and passion for the way technology can transform the consumer experience to the Farfetch business. She will have a particular focus on growing the global brand and strengthening its partnerships with the fashion industry.
Massenet and Neves' shared strategic vision of how fashion and technology can work together to amplify the consumer experience puts them in an unrivalled position to partner as co-Chairs and focus on the next stage of Farfetch's development as the leading global platform for luxury fashion.
Neves said: "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.
Natalie has unrivalled entrepreneurial instinct, understanding of the luxury consumer and knows how to build global brands like no one else. It is simply a dream come true to have Natalie partner with me, with a shared vision and tremendous will to - yet again - shape the future of luxury."
Massenet said: "I am honoured and excited to support Jose 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 Jose asked me to come on board it was an opportunity I couldn't turn down. Jose is a true innovator, and I am thrilled to join him as he grows Farfetch into the online platform of choice for luxury fashion."
Massenet founded Net-A-Porter.com, the first luxury fashion shopping online store in 2000, building the company in 15 years into The NET-A-PORTER GROUP with TheOutnet.com, MrPorter.com PORTER Magazine and the social shopping platform the NETSET, creating one of the most powerful global online retail brands and forever changing the face of luxury shopping.
Jose Neves started programming at the age of 8, launched his first tech business in 1993 at the age of 19 and the Swear shoe label in London in 1996. In 2008 Neves merged his two passions for fashion and technology and launched Farfetch, the first global e-commerce platform for luxury fashion. Farfetch has ascended from its origins as a European start-up to a "unicorn business" and is now the number-one full-price destination for luxury shopping in terms of traffic, according to Alexa, ComScore and SimilarWeb.
Notes to Editors
The term 'Farfetch Group' covers all Farfetch's global subsidiaries, offices and the business units of the Farfetch.com platform, Browns, Black & White and Store of The Future.
Details of Store of The Future will be unveiled at the company's first conference, FarfetchOS, on 12 April where Neves and Massenet will make their first public address. More information about FarfetchOS: https://www.farfetchos.com/
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About Dame Natalie Massenet
Dame Natalie Massenet founded luxury shopping giant, Net-A-Porter in 2000. The following decade saw Natalie build one of the most powerful global online retail, media and publishing groups encompassing net-a-porter.com, theoutnet.com, mrporter.com and the Net Set. With a team of over 2,500 people across London, New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Massenet shaped an extraordinary experience for the global luxury fashion consumer. In the year before Natalie stepped down from her role following the YOOX Net-A-Porter merger, the Net-A-Porter-Group recorded net revenues of $1billion.
Natalie began her career as a journalist and fashion editor, working at WWD and Tatler. In 2009, Natalie was awarded an MBE, and in 2016 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire; both in recognition of her contributions to the UK fashion and retail industry. Natalie has been Chairman of the British Fashion Council since 2013, and was appointed a UK DTI Business Ambassador in March 2016.
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