Natalie Massenet

“A tendency to focus on art over business has meant that too many designers have failed to make the most of their critical acclaim.”

“If you're a teenager in Palo Alto launching an app, you know from the outset how you plan to finance your business.”

“Don't let the American accent fool you. I am British.”

“You can still wear trousers and show off your ankles - which are a nice body part on everyone.”

“Anna Wintour has guided me.”

“Audrey Hepburn has influenced me.”

“As much as I love to shop online, I also love walking the streets on a beautiful day and seeing what finds I can discover in a small shop or vintage store.”

“When I started Net-a-Porter, I knew nothing. And I was pregnant. Starting a new venture and being pregnant for the first time are pretty similar in many ways. If you knew what was going to h...”

“I think I'm a better mother because of work, because I'm happy. If I wasn't working, I would just be waiting for the kids to come home every day, and living vicariously through their lives.”

“You can no longer just have a magazine that shows you this glossy impervious image of women - in the studio, artificial, wearing a push-up bra.”

“Even if I am predisposed to shop online, I see bricks and mortar as part of marketing.”

“I envision a day when a businesswoman will be having lunch, and then her phone will ring. When she opens it up, she will see an image of the latest Marc Jacobs coat that just arrived in stoc...”

“I attended private Catholic schools in Paris and Los Angeles through high school.”

“The British Fashion Awards gives us the chance to commend not only the winners but celebrate all of the individuals that contribute to the incredible achievements that make London the best f...”

“I think there will be an increasing convergence between content and commerce, that it will be about following consumers instead of making consumers come to you, and I am especially excited a...”

“The United Kingdom has traditionally been a very small market, and even though you had such a creative group of designers, they represented a risk to department stores.”

“One of my goals is that, at a dinner party some time in the future, someone will say, 'Oh, my nephew is starting a ready-to-wear brand', and 20 people will turn around and say, 'Is he? Can w...”

“I have donated money to campaigns. And I have been known to take to the street in protest. But I am more committed to my immediate politics than general politics.”

“Even without an economic downturn, women sometimes want to keep their shopping habits to themselves.”

“Dear London, British fashion is a serious business. The British fashion industry is worth £21bn to the U.K. economy and employs 819,000 people across the country. With your help, we would li...”