Natalie Massenet is officially a Dame.
The founder of Net-A-Porter.com and Chairman of the British Fashion Council received the honour from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace yesterday, which was fittingly the first day of London Fashion Week.
"It's overwhelming," she told press afterwards. "After 15 years of hard work I think of all the people who've been involved in this journey and I feel like I'm representing them, whether it's my family or the people that worked with me. Today is the kick-off of London Fashion Week and I'm chairman of the British Fashion Council, so I feel like I represent all of us."
She represented the British fashion industry be commissioning British couture brand Ralph & Russo to create a made-to-measure scarlet red wool crêpe peplum 'tailleur' and carried a gold 'crisp packet' clutch by Anya Hindmarch.
“Ralph & Russo is a brilliant British success story, they are the first brand in almost a century to show during Paris Haute Couture Week, presenting their fifth collection in January this year,@ she said of her coice. "Working with them has been an amazing experience, they are a brilliant example of excellence and creativity. Their atelier in London is a hive of activity with over 120 craftsmen; all experts in their specific field.”
She added that she wanted to wear red as "a celebration", and shared an image on her instagram page that showed a hand-embroidered label inside the outfit that read 'Dame Natalie Massenet DBE' and the date.
Ralph & Russo, which was founded by couple Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo 2007, is no stranger to dressing clients for high-profile occassions. They outfitted Angelina Jolie in a dove grey suit when she collected her honorary Damehood from the Queen in October 2014.
Massenet announced her departure from Net-A-Porter in September 2015, just before the completion of a merger with fellow e-tail company Yoox.
She said at the time: "The completion of Net-a-Porter Group's merger with Yoox Group is the right time for me to move on to explore new ideas and opportunities."
Asked about future business plans yesterday, she said she was currently taking time to "recharge her batteries" but asserted that she maintains the same strong entrepreneurial spirit that saw her start up the world's most innovative luxury fashion e-tailer from her London flat in 2001.
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