The Fall of Fashion’s Power Couple: Natalie Massenet’s Shocking Lawsuit Against Erik Torstensson

In June 2024, Natalie Massenet, the 60-year-old founder of luxury e-commerce pioneer Net-a-Porter, walked the red carpet at the Tribeca Festival in New York City looking elegantly composed in a black midi dress and Valentino kitten heels. Behind her poised exterior, however, her personal life was crumbling. Just weeks earlier, she had discovered that Erik Torstensson, her partner of nearly 15 years, had allegedly been living what her lawsuit describes as a “secret life” involving drug abuse, infidelity, and prostitutes. On August 20th, Massenet filed a bombshell lawsuit in Los Angeles against Torstensson, alleging fraud, breach of contract, and emotional distress. The suit claims she invested over $95 million in Torstensson’s lifestyle and business ventures while he betrayed her trust through a pattern of deception that had reportedly been ongoing for years. The lawsuit has sent shockwaves through the fashion industry, with one stylist who worked with both parties telling The Post they were “very surprised” by the revelations, noting that “people have been known to have double lives.”

The couple had been one of fashion’s most influential power pairings. Massenet is widely credited with revolutionizing luxury e-commerce, having founded Net-a-Porter in 2000 and transforming it into a global powerhouse before selling her majority stake for an estimated $76 million in 2010. Torstensson, 13 years her junior at 47, co-founded Frame denim, the “model-off-duty” brand embraced by celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski and Karlie Kloss. Together, they were fixtures at elite fashion events and known for hosting exclusive gatherings at their homes in London, New York City, and the Hamptons. Fashion magazine Tatler once declared that an invitation to one of their parties was a must-have social credential. According to Mosha Lundström Halbert, a culture and fashion journalist, Massenet was truly “a visionary” who had “the idea and the instinct to execute the concept of bringing the multi-brand department store luxury fashion experience to the internet, which hadn’t really been done.”

Their relationship began around 2009 when Torstensson, then running a marketing agency with fellow Swede Jens Grede, pitched Massenet on a men’s extension of Net-a-Porter. By late 2010, their professional connection had evolved into a romantic one, coinciding with Massenet’s separation from her first husband, French financier Arnaud Massenet. As a couple, they wielded tremendous influence in the fashion world. When Torstensson and Grede launched Frame denim in 2012, Net-a-Porter carried its first collection. According to the lawsuit, Massenet introduced Torstensson to her powerful network including Anna Wintour, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Glossier founder Emily Weiss. As Lundström Halbert explained, “That’s the currency in this industry. It’s relationships, direct introductions, it’s favors, it’s that kind of access. You can’t put a price on that.” Their professional success continued to grow, with Massenet leaving Net-a-Porter in 2015 with $153 million to launch Imaginary Ventures, a firm that invested in brands like Everlane and Reformation.

Their personal lives seemed equally charmed. They welcomed a child together via surrogate in 2017 (Massenet has two daughters from her previous marriage), and they enjoyed a lavish lifestyle befitting their success. According to the lawsuit, Torstensson was a big spender who chartered private jets and collected expensive art. In a 2023 interview with the Financial Times, he mentioned that part of his “uniform” included a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch, which can retail for over $100,000. The couple’s renovation of Massenet’s English countryside mansion was featured in an eight-page spread in The Wall Street Journal in 2022, orchestrated by Torstensson according to the lawsuit. Meanwhile, Torstensson’s business connections continued to flourish. His business partner Jens Grede and Jens’ wife Emma became key players in the Kardashian business empire, co-founding Skims with Kim Kardashian. Torstensson invested in these ventures, and Massenet claims she supported him by becoming an early investor as well. The lawsuit states that today, Torstensson’s stake in Skims alone is worth “in excess of $300 million.”

The relationship began to unravel in 2024 when, according to the lawsuit, Torstensson grew erratic – drinking heavily, disappearing for nights, and suffering from panic attacks and unexplained illnesses. In May, after returning from a work trip to Los Angeles, he allegedly told Massenet he was no longer in love with her and didn’t believe their relationship could continue. The lawsuit describes this conversation as “shocking and traumatic for Massenet,” who thought they were merely experiencing a rough patch. At the suggestion of their counselor, Torstensson checked into a treatment center. During his absence, Massenet discovered one of his old cellphones containing what the complaint describes as “indisputable evidence, including explicit texts and photographs, that Torstensson had maintained multiple affairs with several younger women for years.” One of these women was allegedly someone from Massenet’s daughter’s social circle “who had once asked Massenet to be her mentor.”

After confronting him with the evidence, Torstensson allegedly admitted to Massenet that he was “a liar, an alcoholic, a drug addict, a sex addict and that it had gone on for seven years,” according to the lawsuit. More revelations followed, including an account from a former Frame employee who told Massenet’s friend that in 2018, Torstensson had chartered a private plane to Cabo San Lucas with an unidentified woman. Upon learning these details, Massenet realized that “the entire foundation of their relationship had been a complete lie,” the complaint states. A fashion industry insider who spoke to The Post claimed that while many in their circle were aware of Torstensson’s alleged infidelities, they believe Massenet was genuinely “blindsided” by them, adding: “Everybody, they would’ve just stayed quiet. Don’t get involved. Don’t be the one that says anything.” The insider emphasized that Massenet is “not a foolish woman,” but rather “a woman in love that thought they’d be together forever.” The lawsuit represents a stunning end to what appeared from the outside to be one of fashion’s most successful partnerships, both personally and professionally.