Net-a-Porter founder was violent and took drugs, says ex-partner

The first female head of the British Fashion Council has been accused by her former partner of being a violent and controlling drug user.

Last month, Dame Natalie Massenet, the founder of the Net-a-Porter fashion retailer, sued Erik Torstensson, claiming he lived a secret life as a “sex addict” who conned her out of $95 million during their 14-year relationship.

Torstensson, the founder of the Frame denim brand, has now filed a child custody action for their seven-year-old son in which he was reported to allege Massenet was an unfit mother.

Torstensson describes the publicity from their relationship as “an unwanted distraction” from his work

STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES

The couple, who had homes in London, New York and California, were once one of the fashion world’s most glamorous items.

Massenet claims in her lawsuit filed at the Superior Court of Los Angeles that she discovered Torstensson was a “self-described ‘liar, drug addict, alcoholic and sex addict’” after finding “explicit texts and photographs” on a phone.

She is suing him for a “fair equitable return on the investments she made” and compensation for the “severe emotional distress” she claims to have suffered.

Torstensson, 47, has now filed a child custody action at the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan.

He claims Massenet, 60, drank heavily, “would lash out physically” and once overdosed on MDMA at Glastonbury, according to the court filing reported by The New York Times.

Torstensson says their romance began on a flight to Milan when Massenet, who was still married, turned to him and said “kiss me”.

He says they went on to have sex in her car outside her mansion in South Kensington, west London, while her daughters sat inside the house and again in another car while on a family holiday in Ibiza.

The businessman claims Massenet decided to get divorced from Arnaud Massenet, a French hedge fund manager, after visiting the Hoffman Institute, a retreat in California attended by celebrities including Sienna Miller and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Torstensson describes the publicity from their relationship as “an unwanted distraction” from his work and claims he spent more than $20 million financing their lifestyle.

The couple in Ibiza

DAVID M BENETT/GETTY IMAGES

He claims Massenet “used drugs regularly”, “ingested alcoholic beverages heavily” and used her power to “exert control of him”.

Torstensson claims he was the primary caregiver for their son, who was born via an egg donor and surrogate. He questions his former partner’s “capability to provide responsible care” for their child and is seeking legal custody.

Bonnie Eskenazi, Torstensson’s lawyer, called Massenet’s suit “vengeful and obviously meritless without any regard to the harm it would cause their family”, according to the newspaper.

Massenet’s spokesman said Torstensson’s filing was “an improper use” of the court process and “nothing more than a vindictive smear campaign in response to Natalie’s claim against him”.

The claim at the Superior Court of Los Angeles continues: “Massenet has been left not only heartbroken, but also cash-strapped with his child following the very expensive life that he manipulated her into paying for.

“Massenet spent more than $95 million during the course of their relationship on expensive properties, lifestyle expenses, vacations and more based on Torstensson’s promises to repay her in kind.”

Massenet claims Torstensson, who was born in Sweden, promised that “if she funded the extravagant lifestyle that he desired, introduced him to her high-profile business contacts and supported his business ventures, he would repay her”.

She describes introducing Torstensson to Anna Wintour, at the time the Vogue editor-in-chief; Diane von Furstenberg, the designer; and Tamara Mellon, the co-founder of the Jimmy Choo brand.