Celebrity fashion styles help an online shop produce profits
Celebrity fashion apparel remains everlastingly in demand given that everyone just has to emulate their favorite star or at least feel like one if given a chance. Fashion websites are making the most of this by churning out items that are identical to those worn by celebrities, especially Hollywood stars. One such website is Asos.com which is completely cashing in on this demand and recently witnessed a 111% increase in sales.
In March alone the website witnessed visitors which usually comprise of women aged 18 to 34. The website, Asos which was formerly called As Seen on Screen unabashedly showcases and sells replicated versions of clothes donned by celebrity style icons. The merchandize comprises of clothes, bags, shoes, accessories as well as make up that is seemingly “in vogue” for a number of style icons. Many of the items offered are quite inexpensive where a range of party dresses are priced at £30 or £35.
Fashion statements of style icons like Mischa Barton, Victoria Beckham, Lindsay Lohan, Kate Moss and many others is in turn generating substantial sales for this website as people want to emulate their styles. ASOS, which serves 18 to 34-year-olds with fashion items similar to those worn by celebrities, posted sales of £38.4 million for the 12 months to March 31. Even the conventional high street outlets are not able to keep pace with the company which is expecting a consistent growth for this year of a staggering 80per cent.
The current best seller of the company remains a Mina Sienna Mini Dress, which is a genuine version of a dress worn by the actress Sienna Miller. The dress with slightly puffed capped sleeves with a fold over neckline and lace edging is priced at £55.
The collection also includes a £90 French Connection Sequin Trim Silk Dress as seen on Mischa Barton and a full length Ted Baker Eva Silk Leaf Print Dress as seen on Eva Longoria, from the hit US series Desperate Housewives. The other “in vogue” items include a £15 Coconut & Stone Trim Bikini as worn by Cameron Diaz, a backless Puffball Dress in the style of Victoria Beckham at £30 and cropped wrap-over Mac in the style of Kylie Minogue for £55.
Asos although perceived as a copycat fashion website is perfectly catering to the desires of people who are fascinated by style icons’ sartorial trends. The popularity of Asos has reached a peak validated by the fact that women prefer to visit the website rather than the high street stores.
Asos has also launched its magazine to further satiate the desires of customers and enhance their “in demand” quotient. The May edition of their magazine features Kylie Minogue on the cover. The co-founder and chief executive of Asos, Nick Robertson, said: “We are benefiting from a fair wind from online retailing in general, with the consensus expecting 30-40per cent market growth this year, but we can get up to 80per cent with an increased investment in marketing and the celebrity fashion magazine. A magazine packed with the latest fashion news and trends is the perfect medium to reinforce our celebrity fashion credentials. The overall fashion market is not growing to any great degree, so as we grow it will start to hurt others.”
He expressed a nonchalant remark about this week’s high profile launch of the Kate Moss-designed clothing range for Topshop. “It’s an interesting play - good luck to them,” he said. He further added that “Topshop sales will be phenomenal over the coming days - it’s a celebrity endorsed model and she’s the biggest celebrity, but they happen a lot in this industry.”
The coming week will also witness the launch of a collection by singer Lily Allen. The collection is caters to the real women with curves and will help accentuate the curves of a woman.