Lawyers for Natalie Massenet and Erik Torstensson filed rival lawsuits this month as their highly public split becomes a courtroom drama with the potential to ripple through fashion and consumer culture. Torstensson, 47, has applied for custody of their seven-year-old son Jet, who was born with the help of a surrogate and an egg donor. Massenet, 60, has responded with a California lawsuit accusing Torstensson of breach of contract, fraud and infliction of emotional distress tied to their financial relationship. Both sides have traded accusations in public filings, including complaints that details were leaked to the press as part of a broader reputational fight.
A close-knit circle of fashion insiders watched the split unfold with shock and a sense of irony, given the pair’s former status as a glamorous power couple in luxury e-commerce. Court documents and interviews reviewed by editors describe a relationship that began amid the boom years of Net-a-Porter and its spin-off ventures, only to devolve into accusations of alcohol use, infidelity and coercive behavior. While Torstensson’s camp portrays a man confronting years of deceit, Massenet’s team portrays a former partner enmeshed in a pattern of alleged behavior that they say harmed the family’s finances and well-being.
The public focus comes as the two have been central players in a story of luxury and disruption in the fashion world. Massenet, a Tatler journalist who founded Net-a-Porter in 2010, helped popularize online luxury shopping and later became the first female chair of the British Fashion Council. Torstensson helped start Saturday, a fashion marketing agency, and co-founded Mr Porter, the men’s complement to Net-a-Porter, before building theFrame denim brand with broad industry support. The two also expanded into investments through Imaginary Ventures, which backed Glossier, Reformation and Farfetch, among others. The couple’s lifestyle and status were the subject of intense media scrutiny even before the latest lawsuits, with assets and international residences at stake.
Their 2015 birthday celebration in Positano is frequently recalled in discussions of the couple’s early romance and its eventual fracture. Friends describe a weekend that drew a London crowd of models and industry figures to Il San Pietro di Positano, the private cliff-top hotel famous for privacy and stunning views. The event is described as a Gatsby-esque, high-visibility moment in the fashion world, with a guest list ranging from Kate Moss to Cara Delevingne and Laura Bailey. Legal documents filed this week by Torstensson outline a final bill of approximately three million euros for that weekend, a sum that translates into hundreds of thousands per night for the resort rooms at the hillside property. A fashion insider who attended said the party epitomized an era of conspicuous consumption, social media spectacle, and a sense that the industry’s wealth could be showcased with impunity, before a crash many warned would follow.
In the years that followed, their fortunes and brands intersected in powerful ways. Net-a-Porter and its investors helped propel Frame, Torstensson’s denim line, while Massenet’s exit from Net-a-Porter gave her currency to back start-ups through Imaginary Ventures. Her stake in Glossier and involvement with sustainable labels and platforms such as Farfetch positioned her at the center of a rapidly evolving luxury ecosystem. Yet the current suits paint a starkly different picture: Massenet says she spent tens of millions in a bid to cement a lifestyle and a business empire, while Torstensson’s filings depict a relationship in which he says he was increasingly sidelined and financially drained. In California, Massenet’s suit alleges breach of contract and fraud tied to financial arrangements during their relationship, seeking damages and other relief. In response, Torstensson’s team contends that the filing is part of a broader attempt to affect their family and finances, and they deny the most serious allegations.
Observers note that the dispute has already begun to affect the couple’s business circles and the brands connected to them. Frame announced that Torstensson would step away from the company to address personal matters, while maintaining his ownership stake, a decision described by some as a pragmatic move to shield the brand from ongoing personal controversy. Skims, the Kardashian-backed shapewear line in which Torstensson has invested, has indicated that the behavior described in Massenet’s suit does not align with its corporate values and described him as a small, early-stage stakeholder. The exits and repositioning reflect how personal disputes in luxury fashion can quickly bleed into brand perception and consumer confidence.
Friends and industry insiders have offered a spectrum of interpretations. Some compare the couple’s public conflict to infamous celebrity splits, suggesting that the pair’s once-glamorous life has devolved into a longer, costly dispute over money, leverage and influence. A long-time fashion associate described the post-relationship period as fraught with risk for their reputations, noting that the pair’s daughter and son could be drawn into the media spotlight in ways that complicate private settlement. Others caution that the fashion industry tends to view high-profile feuds with a mix of schadenfreude and professional concern, given the influence the couple once wielded over talent, investors and retail platforms.
With New York Fashion Week unfolding during filings and court moves, watchers are paying close attention to how the disputes may reshape alliances, partnerships and the social fabric of an industry accustomed to high drama but wary of public litigation. The case prompts questions about how private life intersects with public brands in an era when public image can propel or sink businesses. As legal proceedings continue behind closed doors and in sealed filings, the fashion world watches for signs of settlement, separation of assets and how much of the couple’s headline-making story may eventually stay private. The evolving narrative remains unsettled, with both sides signaling a readiness to press their case in multiple jurisdictions as they navigate the joint legacies of Net-a-Porter, Frame and the broader Imaginary Ventures portfolio.