London - For years she was considered the power behind the throne at Net-a-Porter.
Now one-time marketing boss Alison Loehnis got her big chance as she was crowned the first lady of fashion in Britain – president of the luxurious clothing group that she helped steer to global success.
Loehnis's promotion comes after founder Natalie Massenet quit last month. However, the day-to-day workings of the fashion world have to share a space with matters closer to home.
Loehnis has a family to run – and she handles that challenge with the kind of forward-thinking that took her to the top in her career
While the working day may be taken up with hard-nosed business decisions, night becomes a matter of ensuring that her children have the right comfort toys to get to sleep.
Loehnis has revealed she often buys up to eight versions of the same cuddly toy – just in case one goes missing.
In an interview, she admitted to carrying the back-ups, named Night Night and Ellie, for her daughter Tilly, six, and son Milo, eight.
“Night Night and Ellie belong to Tilly and Milo,” she said. “They travel everywhere with us. As the children are so attached, we have back-ups so we’re never without them – Ellie is one of three and Night Night is one of eight!”
The American-born executive is married to British businessman and Eton-educated Alexander Loehnis.
The family live close to Net-a-Porter’s head office in West London in a five bedroom house on a street full of £2-million homes.
Loehnis rarely misses an opportunity to illustrate the importance of her family life. Her most treasured possessions are gold necklaces by designer Brooke Gregson which have her children’s star signs on them – “Scorpio for Milo and Cancer for Tilly’”
“It means they’re always with me,” she says.
Her husband bought her a Cartier watch when her son Milo was born, which she plans to pass on to her children.
Loehnis has stepped out of Massenet’s shadow as the Net-a-Porter group merges with Italian website giant Yoox in a £3-billion deal.
Her rise to the top follows years of dedication to fashion. She previously worked at LVMH and was hired by Massenet to join the then-fledgling Net-a-Porter as head of sales and marketing in 2007.
She is credited with being part of the team that helped the website grow to global success and helped in its sale to Swiss based luxury giant Richemont in 2010 and its subsequent merger with Yoox. She will now be responsible for Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter, The Outnet and Porter magazine.
Comments recalling her school days reveal the inspiration behind her drive to the top. She said her headmistress drummed into her that “girls can do anything, one day there will be a woman President, you are capable of anything”.
Daily Mail