Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw

IMAGE: steve-mcqueen.jpg

Mr Porter, the “brother” site to the hugely successful Net-A-Porter and The Outnet, has gone live.

A clever Facebook campaign invited existing Net-A-Porter customers to become “founding members” before the site became available to the hoi polloi, thus reinforcing its exclusive credentials.

The site bills itself as the first luxury menswear retailer with global reach, and seems to be a smart move for Net-A-Porter founder Natalie Massenet. With rival designer clothing sites such as My-Wardrobe springing up, it makes sense to focus on the less-exploited upmarket menswear market.

The site is elegantly designed and strikes a great balance between editorial and commercial content. My favourite pages are those which focus on stylish public figures, from Steve McQueen to Haile Selassie. A smart way to make getting dressed up in fancy clothes acceptable to the average bloke.

It remains to be seen whether Mr Porter will enjoy the same runaway success as Net-A-Porter. After all, how many men spend every lunch break searching for shoes online? But if anyone can get men buying designer clothes on the net, Natalie Massenet probably can.