Sarah Rutson To Exit Net-a-Porter

Sarah Rutson at the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards in NYC.

After just a little over two years, Sarah Rutson is exiting Net-a-Porter.

She joined the online retailer as the vice president of global buying in December 2014. In the two years since she was with the company, Net-a-Porter has grown considerably. It merged with Yook to create the e-Commerce giant – Yook Net-a-Porter Group – that is now set to launch in the Middle East; it expanded its contemporary buy to bring in new brands and customers; it flourished Vetements into a luxury level.

Rutson was hired by Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet, who resigned from the online fashion retailer in September of 2015, prior to its planned merger with Yook (see it here). Last month, we reported that Portuguese international fashion website Far Fetch is in talks to hire Massenet in an advisory role (see it here).

A spokesperson confirmed Rutson‘s exit to Fashionista.

She joined Net-a-Porter from Hong Kong-based retailer Lane Crawford, where she had served as its fashion director for 21 years. Her business successes varied from launching a number of exclusive collaborations — its May 2016 capsule with Gucci — to investing in new labels like Vetements and Virgil Abloh‘s Off-White.

Net-a-Porter provided Fashionista with the following statement: “WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK SARAH FOR THE PASSION AND DEDICATION SHE HAS SHOWN TO NET-A-PORTER. DURING HER TENURE, OUR PRODUCT SELECTION HAS REMAINED A KEY DIFFERENTIATOR, PROVIDING OUR GLOBAL CUSTOMERS WITH THE BEST CURATED EDIT OF THE SEASON’S MOST COVETABLE COLLECTIONS. SHE LEAVES BEHIND A VERY TALENTED BUYING TEAM WHO WILL CONTINUE TO DELIVER EXCITING GROWTH FOR THE BUSINESS.”

Photos Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images