Condé Nast invests in Farfetch

Publishing house Condé Nast International has announced that it has led a 20 million dollar investment in indie e-tailer Farfetch, to help the retailer plot international expansion. The marketplace for independent fashion boutiques, also received funds

from existing investors Advent Venture Partners, Index Ventures and e.ventures, as well as Condé Nast International to help aid the online portal to ‘fuel’ its entry into new markets internationally as well as growing its existing ones.

Condé Nast’s investment in Farfetch follows the publishing company’s recent involvement with the e-commerce businesses Monoqi and Renesim in Germany, as the group behind magazines such as Vogue, GQ and Glamour continues to branch out into new markets.

Jonathan Newhouse, Chairman and chief executive of Condé Nast International commented: “Farfetch has a unique position, connecting boutiques around the world by e-commerce to sophisticated fashion customers like our magazine readers and website users. It’s a natural for Condé Nast.”

James Bilefield, President of Condé Nast International Digital, added: “As the leading multimedia publisher connecting people to the fashion brands they love, this investment underlines our commitment to extend the scope of our activities and back great entrepreneurs.”

José Neves, Founder and Chief Executive of farfetch, remarked: “This investment will fuel our entry to new markets while assisting our growth in existing ones.  Our goal to build a unique curated global franchise in online designer fashion is brought several steps closer through the exciting involvement of Condé Nast.”

As part of the investment, Bilefield will join the Farfetch board.

Farfetch launched in 2008 and the online marketplace brings together more than 250 independent fashion boutiques together. The site features over 82,000 curated products from more than 2,000 of the world’s best brands and currently has 150,000 customers in over 140 countries.