José Neves, left; Jason Robins, center; and Gillian Tans, right
José Manuel Ferreira Neves (born 26 June 1974) is a Portuguese entrepreneur and the founder of Farfetch, a global luxury fashion online platform.
Early life
José Neves was born on 26 June 1974.[2] He grew up in Porto, Portugal, where his grandfather owned a shoe factory.[3] He studied economics at the University of Porto.[3]
Career
Neves founded his first tech company, Grey Matter, while studying at university. The company provided software for clothing manufacturers.[4]
In the same year, he founded a software firm called Platforme for small fashion brands in 1996.[5] In 1996, at the age of 22, he launched a footwear brand named Swear, and opened a store in London. The brand sold to other shops.[6] He started a retail fashion store named bstore on Savile Row in London in 2001.[7]
In 2008, Neves founded Farfetch.[7] In June 2017, Farfetch sold a minority stake to JD.com, for US$397 million, prior to launching in China.[7]
In September 2018, following the IPO of Farfetch on the New York Stock Exchange, Neves' stake in the company was valued at US$1.4 billion.[8]
In February 2024, following the sale of Farfetch to Korean e-commerce company Coupang, Neves stepped down as CEO but will remain involved with Farfetch in a consultant capacity.[9]
Personal life
Neves is married and has five children,[10] living in Guimarães, Portugal.[11] Neves has an apartment in Clerkenwell, London, and travels widely for work.[11]