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Gentleman Standing is a blog dedicated to e-commerce startups and the VCs that fuel them. The blog also aims to be a resource for entrepreneurs in the e-commerce and broader consumer internet spaces.

I am especially focused on the increasing interest in men’s fashion that is due to the convenience created by digital media tools and new e-commerce business models.

Below is a previous blog post discussing why I am so interested in this space.

What’s in a Name: Why the Name Gentleman Standing?

Believe it or not, the name Gentleman Standing didn’t come from a random name generator or from a tireless search for a URL that wasn’t already taken (the latter is only partly true). The name Gentleman Standing was chosen to indicate a focus on e-commerce and men’s fashion, especially on the growing trend of men shopping for fashion online.

The ability to shop efficiently from the convenience of a computer or mobile device is attracting more and more men to rediscover fashion and to spend more time shopping. Robert Murray, Global Chief Executive Officer of iProspect, recently stated that “The old adage that men hate to shop is being upended by the digital experience. Not only are affluent men shopping online more, but this demographic is doing extensive research, shopping and then purchasing online…”

iProspect recently released a report that there are 19Mil affluent (>$100K HHI) men on the internet, and 98% of them shop online, while 27% make online purchases on a weekly basis and 13% spend more than $30K online on an annual basis. Over half of these men spend at least $4K online per year. There are more fascinating statistics in the iProspect report than I can list in this post, so check out the full reporthere.

Also, spending on luxury goods by men is outpacing spending by women. Bain & Co reports that spending by men on luxury goods is growing at 14%, while spending by women is growing at 8%. Jean-Marc Bellaiche, a consultant at Boston Consulting Group, stated that “Menswear…remains very underdeveloped compared to the woman’s market, so there is a lot of catching up to do…”

These trends are the core focus of this blog, but it is also an expression of my general interests and life experiences. The name Gentleman Standing wasn’t completely scientific, but hopefully it represents the content of this blog.