[8] Having raised the £1.2m (approx $2m) start-up costs with the assistance of her then-husband and co-founder Mark Quinn-Newall, they launched the company from Massanet's flat in Chelsea, London.

[15][7] In August 2014, The Outnet launched a partnership with Victoria Beckham to sell items of her clothing to raise funds for the nonprofit organization mothers2mothers to educate women about HIV/AIDS in Africa.

[16] The business continues to grow and in 2013 it retailed products from more than 350 designers, attracted more than two million monthly visitors to the site and an average spend of £500 (around $850).

Labels such as Alexander Wang, Yves Saint Laurent and RM by Roland Mouret have created capsule collections specifically for the site.

[8] As of September 2013, Net-a-Porter employed 2,600 people in the UK, US, and Hong Kong, with further offices in Shanghai and fulfillment centres on the outskirts of three cities.

[20] When speaking of the addition of Net-a-Sporter to the e-tailer's online roster, the company's President Alison Loehnis said "We spotted a gap in the market for being a one-stop shop for workout wear where fashion meets function and where performance and style are equally valued.

"[22] The name YOOX was created by Costas Constantinou and is composed of the male (Y) and female (X) chromosome letters linked by OO, the infinity symbol ∞ or "the 'zero' from the binary code, the fundamental language of the digital age".

[23] YOOX's concept is to buy up overstocked or unsold items from previous seasons in "a direct relationship"[24] from renowned fashion houses "including Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel, Gucci, Armani and Cavalli"[25] as well as "manufacturers and authorized dealers"[24] and sell them online at discounted outlet prices.

Since then, the company has worked with individuals in the fashion and luxury industry in the development of their e-tail strategies, launching websites for brands such as Armani and Marni.

Yoox also began selling additional items beyond fashion, including artwork from artists like Damien Hirst, Mark Quinn and Peter Blake.

[33] In 2008, Yoox launched its full-price online menswear retail store The Corner featuring established designer brands and a selection of niche fashion labels from Italy and elsewhere.

Marchetti, who had worked for "Bain & Co. as a strategic consultant, Lehman Brothers as an expert in luxury goods and as a banker in mergers and acquisitions"[59] studied economics at Bocconi University in Milan[59] and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

[60] The company's US subsidiary, Yoox Corp, is a Delaware corporation with offices in TriBeCa, New York and logistic centres in New Jersey.

[61] For the U.S. market, Yoox partnered with Port Logistics Group (PLG) of Houston for supply chain management, such as merchandise returns, re-packaging and shipping within the United States.

[63][48][64] This initial public offering (IPO) was realised at the end of November 2009, being priced at the top of the range of its valuation, and the deal being coordinated by Goldman Sachs and the Milan based investment bank Mediobanca[65] Yoox.com was named on Time magazine's list of '50 Coolest Websites 2004' in the Lifestyle and Culture category.