LONDON — Natalie Massenet, the founder of Net-a-porter has filed a civil case against her former partner, Erik Torstensson, the cofounder and creative director of the denim brand Frame.

According to the paper filed, Massenet is suing for breach of contract; fraud and intentional deceit; promissory estoppel, and intentional/negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The case was submitted on Wednesday at the Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles. 

Massenet and Torstensson first met in 2009, when Torstensson approached Massenet about launching a menswear arm of Net-a-porter, which is now Mr Porter.

The pair started a relationship in late 2010, after Massenet had sold her portion of the business for “tens of millions of dollars,” according to the court filing.

Massenet and Torstensson were in a 14-year relationship and welcomed a son together in 2017.

In the filing, Massenet claims to be “not only heartbroken, but also cash strapped with his child” in the paper. The paper adds that Torstensson is demanding joint custody of their child.

She alleges that she has spent more than $95 million during their relationship on “expensive properties, lifestyle expenses, vacations and more based on Torstensson’s promises to repay her in kind.”

The Net-a-porter founder, who is currently a New York resident, is demanding “a fair, equitable return on the investments she made, value she created and costs she carried.”

Signs of trouble in paradise began to occur in 2024, according to the paper.

Massenet claims Torstensson became “emotionally distant, drank more heavily, disappeared for nights and became physically and emotionally unwell,” and that she found him to have “frequent bouts of bad stomach infections, influenza, panic attacks and hives.”

In the paper, Massenet alleges that in May 2025 she found her partner to be a “‘liar, drug addict, alcoholic and sex addict,’ who had been actively doing drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and oxycodone, hiring and sleeping with prostitutes, and engaging in multiple affairs with younger women during the majority of their 14-year relationship.”

The paper goes on to add that “Massenet found a prescription bottle of Valacyclovir filled by Torstensson in January 2025, which he told her was for the hives. Massenet later learned that Valacyclovir is used to treat herpes infections.”

Massenet claims that Torstensson was using their relationship for “social clout” to rack up investment and equity positions worth “hundreds of millions of dollars.”

The filing specifies that when Torstensson launched the label Frame, Massenet supported him by launching its first collection on Net-a-porter.

In the paper, Massenet states that she used her expansive Rolodex to introduce Torstensson to the likes of Vogue U.S. editor in chief Anna Wintour; designer Diane Von Furstenberg; Michael Ovitz, the cofounder of Creative Artists Agency; Jimmy Choo’s cofounder Tamara Mellon; Glossier founder Emily Weiss, and British power couple, David and Victoria Beckham.

The filing features a text message sent to Victoria Beckham by Torstensson asking to “Send me sizes for yourself, David and Brooklyn and I will send you a package of Frame goodies. So glad you like them.”

In Massenet’s and Torstensson’s 14-year relationship, it’s clear that the lines between their professional and personal lives became intertwined and blurred.

The reason for Massenet filing in California is because of its links to her and Torstensson’s life.

She was born in Los Angeles and attended the University of California, as well as building “extensive personal and professional ties to California,” said the paper.

The paper reveals that Torstensson is also a New York resident, but a majority of his business operations are based in California. Torstensson was an early shareholder of Skims and Good American, the shapewear brand founded by Kim Kardashian and the denim-centric brand cofounded by Khloé Kardashian and Emma Grede.

According to the paper, “The equity value of Torstensson’s stake in Skims alone is estimated to be in excess of $300 million.”

The filing details that the couple used a relationship counselor based in Los Angeles and both work with a physician in the city that “routinely provides prescriptions to Torstensson.”

The paper alleges that Torstensson’s drug use and infidelity materialized in California.

Torstensson is yet to file a response to the claims made by Massenet.

Massenet and Torstensson could not be reached for comment at time of press.

In 2000, Massenet founded fashion online retailer Net-a-porter. In the year before she stepped down from her role in 2015 following the Yoox Net-a-porter merger, the Net-a-porter Group recorded net revenues of almost $1 billion.

In 2016, she was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions and services to the U.K. economy.

In 2017, Massenet became nonexecutive co-chairman of Farfetch, a role she left in August 2020.

She teamed up with Nick Brown, formerly a partner at the venture capital firm 14W, to set up Imaginary Ventures in 2018, focusing on innovations at the intersection of retail and technology. 

The firm closed its first fund of $75 million in 2018, which included investments across the beauty, wellness, food and beverage, lifestyle and fashion sectors.

Its brand investments have ranged from Glossier, Camp, Bread Beauty Supply, Dirty Lemon, Universal Standard and Goodfair to Mejuri and Skims.

Torstensson found his business footing in 2003 with his business partner, Jens Grede. The pair founded their own agency Saturday, which would later be renamed as Saturday Group that rapidly expanded into 12 separate companies spanning advertising, branding, public relations, e-commerce, entertainment and apparel distribution with offices in New York, London, Paris and Milan.

In 2012, Torstensson and Grede launched Frame with one pair of skinny jeans and quickly grew into a lifestyle label for women and men that generated $170 million in sales by 2022.