Prints, please
Asos showed their spring 2013 collection Tuesday at its brand new showroom in New York. The UK-based e-commerce site launched two years ago in the US and has been growing quickly ever since. (Asos recently reported a 31% increase in fourth-quarter revenues due to its international growth.)
The spring collection was all about bold prints; everything from camouflage to animal prints showed up in almost every category. James Barron, head of buying for Asos told me that their US customer is fashion conscious and slightly younger than that in the UK. “We noticed this when we saw a spike in our skinny jean sales. The US customer is confident and looking to us for fashion product. We’re also noticing a lot of sales coming from the West Coast.”
The Asos label is the opening price point which allows for guys to take more risk when shopping (especially because Asos offers free shipping and returns). T-shirts are in the $20 range, slim chinos are around $40, tailored clothing is $160 retail).
The product offering is split 50/50 between private label and branded. (Best-selling brands include Ralph Lauren, YMC and Grenson.) Barron tells me they have no plans for opening brick and mortar stores. “Maybe pop-up shops as a marketing opportunity, but we’re a digital business.”
