It’s Net-A-Porter’s 20th Birthday – So Here Are 20 Of The Best Buys To Celebrate From £50

Back in 2000, when former fashion editor Natalie Massenet launched Net-A-Porter from the kitchen of her Chelsea flat, critics dismissed it as doomed it to fail. After all, would people ever really buy fashion (and luxury fashion at that) without first trying it on? Well, the proof is in the pudding (or, to be precise, those satisfying ribbon-tied black boxes): they would, and they did – in their millions. Proving the naysayers not just wrong but seriously out of touch, what Massenet created wasn’t just a successful business but a bona fide fashion retail revolution.

And now, this week, Net-A-Porter celebrates its 20th anniversary. It’s come a long way from a kitchen in London (Massenet departed the company in 2015). Some stats to get your head around: today, the e-tailer stocks over 800 fashion brands and 200 beauty brands. There are, on average, 1220 new products uploaded each week. Those black boxes wing their way to over 170 countries worldwide. In the past two decades, Net-A-Porter has shifted enough shoes to stretch all the way from London to Milan three times over and so many Gucci GG belts that they could wrap around the whole of Manhattan (AKA, a lot).

‘For a company that has always been about shaping the future of fashion, turning 20 feels like a significant moment,’ says Alison Loehnis, President of Net-A-Porter and Mr Porter. ‘We take the greatest pride and satisfaction in serving a community of incredible women from all over the globe. Delivering excitement, joy and the very best fashion in the world to our customers’ doors is what drives and inspires us. We might have been around for two decades, but we know we’re only as good as the last beautiful package we send out’.

Net-A-Porter has succeeded where so many other dotcom ventures have failed by consistently remaining ahead of the curve in predicting how we will want to shop. It was back in 2009 that the brand launched the first shoppable iPhone app (today, more than 50% of all sales are made via a mobile or the app). In 2017, it was one of the first partners of WhatsApp for business, meaning the companies 100 personal shoppers can connect directly with customers.

Of course, all this wouldn’t really matter if the site didn’t stock pieces that we really, really want (as you no doubt know, it does – and it’s dangerous). Today, the world’s leading power brands – Gucci, Prada, Saint Laurent, the list goes on, and on – take their place on site alongside emerging names like Christopher John Rogers. Understanding that you’re as likely to need workout gear or a holiday refresh as you are a killer dress, Net-A-Porter also has its dedicated Net-A-Sporter and Jet-A-Porter edits. Best of all, last year, it launched Net Sustain, a platform which celebrates conscious, sustainable and ethical brands – now a non-negotiable factor for many shoppers.

The only downside? You do run the risk of losing hours browsing. Allow us to help, here’s our edit of 20 of the best pieces to shop on Net-A-Porter now.

SHOP: 20 Pieces From Net-a-Porter To Buy Now