Male shoppers of the world unite - this month sees the biggest launch of a mens luxury-goods fashion site in the form of Mr Porter, the male counterpart of mega success Net-a-Porter. Apparently, men are easily turned off by new fashions promoted in magazines and stores but feel good about shopping online...and so, the next step.

Mr Porter has significant differences to Net-a-Porter. There’re no magazine-style spreads, and instead of models it’ll feature real men - banker, painter, actor, motorbike designer. There’ll be a limited number of brands sold including Alexander McQueen, Balmain, Brooks Brothers, John Lobb...plus short videos with style tips online.

The launch is coming at a good time. The luxury market shows signs of recovery with worldwide sales rising 10% in 2010 according to Bain & Co., which is a huge improvement compared to 2009’s 8% decline. We’ve been interested in the luxury market for awhile, keep your eyes peeled for our next Protein Forum which’ll revolve around luxury.