Call me old-fashioned, but when buying clothes, I actually still prefer to head to a shop, browse the selection, and try things on. But, this isn’t always practical or possible. And when I do buy clothes online there is one place that I consistently use more than any other: Asos.
This Asos review will detail exactly why I love the Asos shopping experience. I’ll also share the one tip that makes it easy to find affordable clothes on the site.
First Up, What is Asos?
If you’ve just found out about Asos, here’s all your need to know about the store. Asos is a massive online clothes shopping store. It was founded in the U.K. in the year 2000 and has since expanded to the point where it offers free delivery to pretty much anywhere in the world.
It also has fulfillment centers in the U.S. which makes ordering fast and cheap for people in the country. Asos carries a ton of brands in pretty much any category you could imagine. And as an online-first store, it makes the process of buying super easy.
My Favorite Thing About ASOS: The Vast Selection
The absolute best thing about Asos is the huge selection of clothes the brand has available. You can find pretty much any style of clothing you want on the site. I’m not sure exactly how many brands the site offers, but to give you an idea of the scale, it carries 54 different brands that sell men’s jeans. At the time of writing, this meant the site offered an astonishing 1,974 different styles of jeans.
There are a great variety of brands on offer. You’ll find everything from affordable low-to-mid-end brands like Topman and Asos’s own label alongside more premium labels like BOSS, Diesel, Nudie, and Ralph Lauren. You’re basically covered unless you want to want to really splash the cash on top-end brands.
Asos also offers clothing from plenty of lesser-known brands. These brands often provide great value and help add to the selection. For example, when it comes to shoes I always keep an eye out for Silver Street. It’s a brand I hadn’t heard of before but it offers a good selection at decent quality.
Filtering Makes Finding What You Want a Breeze
All these choices could easily be overwhelming. But Asos has a great selection of tools that make it easy to find what you are looking. Once you enter a category you can filter by color, fit, and type of item. You can even choose to filter the selection by pieces that are sustainable or made from recycled materials.
You can then order the items by price or how recently they were added to stock. You even choose to only see items that are available in your size which ensures you don’t waste time looking at items you can’t actually buy.
Images and Videos Make Choosing Clothes Easy
When shopping online it can be tough to see exactly how a product will look. I love that Asos takes pictures of people wearing almost every item the brand sells on its store. This makes it easy to get an accurate idea of what a piece of clothing will actually look like when you wear it.
Most items have multiple images and even a video of a model walking in the clothes. It’s genuinely a huge help when deciding what to buy and I don’t know why more e-commerce brands don’t do it.
How About Asos In-House Brand?
Asos’s has several in-house brands that it uses to sell its own clothes. The main one is Asos Design, but it also has several specialized labels. For example Asos 4505 is for activewear, and Asos Edition is for occasion wear. These brands typically sell clothes at the lower end of the price scale. I have bought a couple of items from this brand over the years, including a pair of leather shoes, some plimsolls, and a sweater.
I obviously can’t speak for the entire range, but the quality of these items was on-par with the likes of Topman, H&M, etc. It also varies depending on the item. I’m really impressed with the shoes I bought. The leather is a little tough but the build quality is good and they’ve lasted for years while staying in decent condition.
But the plimsolls are flimsy and the sole offer far less cushioning than a pair of vans. Of course, they were a fraction of the cost so this was to be expected.
The in-house brand stands out for two reasons, however: the cost and the variety. You can get pretty much any style you want for a reasonable price. So if that’s your main priority, then Asos’s in-house brands are worth a look.
There are Plenty of Options to Find Your Fit
The biggest issue when shopping online is getting the fit right. It’s the one area where actually going to the shops has a huge advantage. Asos gets around this issue with the helpful Fit Assistant tool.
This estimates the size of clothing you need by asking questions about your body shape. You can also choose brands that you already wear and the tool will compare the sizing of this brand to the sizing of the item you are choosing. I’m sure this tool isn’t foolproof. But it correctly guessed my jeans size and my size in Vans Old Skool.
Delivery is Free in Many Cases
Asos delivery is one of the main reasons I use the site. You can basically get your shopping delivered anywhere in the world for free. This benefits me because while I am from the U.K. and first used the site while living there, I’m now based abroad. Not having to pay extra is a huge plus point.
The are some downsides: the free delivery can take a long time to come—around three weeks for my current location. And this type of delivery isn’t tracked, which is stressful if the item is delivered after the estimated date. But if you want to track your items or want them to arrive sooner, you can always choose to pay a small fee.
Of course, the exact delivery times and costs depend on where you live. And both the U.S. and the U.K. have relatively fast, free delivery options. In the U.K., standard delivery is free when you spend over £35 and takes under five days.
While in the U.S., it is free when you spend over $50 and takes 3 to 6 days. Asos also offers free returns in many of the countries it operates in, including the U.S. and the U.K.
Is ASOS Trustworthy?
When shopping online you need to trust the brands you shop with. Asos is definitely a trustworthy brand. It is one of the largest clothing sellers in the U.K. and it has a huge worldwide presence. I’ve personally used the brand multiple times over an eleven or so year period and never had an issue.
The Asos Outlet is a Hidden Gem
One of my favorite things about Asos is the Outlet. This carries a huge selection of clothing at often significantly reduced prices. And this section has all the filtering options of the regular clothing selection, which makes it easy to find what you want.
There’s none of the endless searching that you often have to go through in regular discount stores or outlets. I often use the outlet when I need a generic piece of clothing like a sweater or a t-shirt and I don’t mind which brand it comes from.
Asos Review: Summary
Asos is a fantastic option if you want to browse a huge variety of clothing items from many brands. The filtering options make finding what you want easy while it’s easy to get the shipping you want, whether that is free or fast. And if you want to make your shopping more affordable, then the Asos Outlet is a great way to do this.
Asos FAQ
Does ASOS sell real brands?
Yes. Asos sells many real brands including plenty of household names like Calvin Klein, G-Star, Lacoste, Levis, and Ralph Lauren. The company also sells its own line of clothing, as well as items from many lesser-known brands.
Is Asos in the US?
Asos is a U.K. company with a fulfillment center in the U.S. This means it offers cheap and fast delivery to buyers located across the country.
