Portuguese billionaire José Neves, the visionary founder of the luxury fashion platform Farfetch, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars reshaping not just e-commerce, but the way fashion intersects with modeling, digital innovation, and shopper experience. His investments reflect a deep belief that the industry’s future blends personal connection with cutting-edge technology.

Farfetch — often described as a marketplace for the world’s most coveted brands — connects more than 700 labels and boutiques globally, offering everything from designer clothing to accessories. While Farfetch isn’t a model agency in the traditional sense, its impact on fashion has helped countless models and designers reach international audiences by bringing fashion’s creative work to life on a massive digital stage.

Neves has long argued that luxury fashion cannot be fully understood or delivered by tech companies alone. In interviews, he has pointed out that technology lacks the aesthetic sensibility and emotional appeal that drive the industry — a perspective he says differentiates a curated fashion platform from a generic online marketplace.

Under his leadership, Farfetch has poured huge sums into tech including virtual fitting services and artificial intelligence tools designed to enhance how consumers interact with fashion online. These investments aim to recreate the bespoke experience of a runway show or a model fitting in a digital world — blending the artistry of modeling with seamless digital commerce.

Farfetch also collaborates with powerhouse partners like Alibaba and luxury houses such as Chanel, working to bridge the gap between online and offline retail experiences. This approach reflects Neves’s belief that personal connection — much like that between a model and model agency — remains critical even in a digital age.

Looking ahead, Neves sees hyper-personalization as the driving force of fashion’s future, where every shopper feels like a VIP — not unlike the individualized attention a model agency gives to its talent — and where technology supports rather than replaces the creative spirit of the industry.