Former Net-A-Porter Founder, Natalie Massenet, Sets Up New Company

When Natalie Massenet, famed founder of luxury e-commerce giant Net-A-Porter suddenly parted ways with her company back in September, the sudden move was a shock to the fashion world.

Massenet resigned on the eve of the company’s acquisition by Italian company Yoox, amid rumours of a rocky working relationship between herself and Yoox’s head, Federico Marchetti, however, the entrepreneur explained her exit by saying: ?It is the right time for me to move on to explore new ideas and opportunities,? fuelling speculation in the fashion industry over her next move.

With 15 years of experience in the luxury market and all her reputable success, we’ve been eagerly waiting to see what she might put her hand to next. And now, according to The Independent, she has registered a new company. Alas, little is currently known about it, aside from?its title: ?Imaginary Ventures.?

Still, the establishment of Imaginary Ventures is the first sign that the luxury goods guru is developing a new business idea, which is exciting. The move comes mere weeks after her Net-A-Porter departure so we’re assuming she isn’t one for long periods of downtime.

The Independent reports that documents recently filed at Companies House reveal that Imaginary Ventures Limited was incorporated on 14th October and that Massenet is currently the only director.

After working as a fashion journalist on titles including Women’s Wear Daily in the US and Tatler in the UK, the US-born Massenet founded Net-A-Porter from her London flat in 2000 with her then husband, financier Arnaud Massenet. The website quickly grew in popularity as women splashed out on designer brands?from the likes of Gucci and Valentino, to be delivered to their homes.

The business expanded to include a website for men, Mr Porter, and its own glossy magazine, Porter.

There is no indication yet as to what her new company will do, but we’re betting she won’t venture too far from a market (and audience) she knows like the back of her hand. While we eagerly await more details, we can only presume that she is headed for bigger and better things – this is one female entrepreneur (with a reported net worth of $170 million) who knows exactly what she’s doing.

Via The Independent