ASOS has relaunched its cultural engagement platform ASOS Helps, committing to again “the folks, communities, and types shaping the way forward for style”.
Initially created to highlight inventive expertise again in 2016, the platform has developed right into a broader initiative grounded in mentorship, funding, collaboration and entry to trade infrastructure.
“ASOS Helps is about turning up for the folks and communities shaping what’s subsequent,” mentioned Vanessa Spence, Govt Vice President of Model and Inventive at ASOS. “We’ve all the time believed style ought to be a platform for id, creativity, and alter. That is how we’re supporting the following era: by opening doorways and investing within the tradition they’re creating.”
As a part of the relaunch, ScaleUP, an incubator programme developed in partnership with the (Vogue) Minority Report back to help international majority-owned manufacturers, is returning. This 12 months’s chosen cohort consists of Murtz Khattak’s Sondor, Kuku Nukajam’s Reign Studio and Grace Ambrose’s By Grace Ogunobo. Chosen for his or her distinctive inventive imaginative and prescient and business promise, every model will obtain 9 months of mentorship, enterprise help and potential funding. The grand prize? The winner will retail their assortment on ASOS.com.
ASOS can also be increasing its attain into training and rising expertise by way of a brand new partnership with Graduate Vogue Week. As a part of the collaboration, the retailer will co-create unique collections with chosen graduates and showcase their work on a world stage through ASOS.com.
Lastly, the retailer is constant its collaboration with The Sourced Assortment, the model based by UK entrepreneur Lois Smith. Their new capsule, co-designed with the ASOS staff, options 14 items together with tailor-made, denim and sequin co-ords, out there solely on the platform. Alongside the gathering, ASOS is offering mentorship and advertising help to assist scale the model’s attain and affect.
This comes after ASOS reported a hunch in revenues because it continues to clear a build-up of inventory and ship full-price gross sales, however its CEO says the concentrate on the underside line is working.
The group reported revenues of £1.3 billion for the six months to 2 March, down 14% on the identical interval final 12 months. It additionally said that revenues had been anticipated to come back in on the decrease finish of its steerage vary for the total 12 months.
