ASOS Menswear Review & Recommendations

I am excited to write about a clothing company that has positively impacted my life at a crucial time. In addition to mine, they have positively impacted the lives of millions of other young people worldwide. That company is called ASOS, an online fashion retailer based in London, England. 

In this article, I will give my official ASOS menswear review. I will share my opinion on ASOS, the company, and their men’s clothing. Halfway into my ASOS review is my highly recommended ASOS men’s clothing. I include this section because ASOS has a vast inventory that can be difficult to sort through. The ASOS men’s clothing I strongly recommend is meant to help shoppers make their search through ASOS inventory easier.

Disclaimer: This post does contain affiliate links. This just means I will earn a small commission if you choose to purchase any of ASOS men’s clothing featured below via the links provided. Do not worry, there is no additional cost to you. Please read my full Disclaimers for more details.

About ASOS

ASOS is the largest online fashion retailer in the world. They sell over 850 brands, both major and small brands, including their brand ASOS DESIGN. Based in London, England, they ship to almost every country around the world.

According to their website, their primary market is young people in their 20s and 30s, like me. The abbreviation ASOS initially stood for “As Seen on Screen”. Its tagline was “buy what you see on film and TV.”

ASOS Founders

The founders of ASOS are:

• Quentin Griffiths
• Andrew Regan
• Deborah Thorpe
• Nick Robertson

Their goal with ASOS is to start a clothing brand that sells clothes and accessories that celebrities are seen wearing. Although Quentin and Nick came up with the idea of ASOS in 1999, the company did not launch until June 3, 2000. It was not until 2007 that ASOS men’s clothing launched.

Global Expansion

In late 2010, ASOS began its global expansion. First, they launched three international online shops in France, Germany, and the United States. By September 2011, ASOS launches three more online shops in Australia, Spain, and Italy. Also, in 2011, ASOS launched its iPhone and iPad app. By 2012, ASOS opens its international offices in Sydney, Australia, and New York, NY.

To help facilitate ASOS’ global growth, their main fulfillment center in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, employs over 3,500 people. Also, they have an in-house customer support center in Leavesden, England. I will have more to say about their fulfillment center and customer support department later.

ASOS Marketplace

In 2010, while ASOS was expanding globally, they also launched ASOS Marketplace. With just 20 brands at the time of its 2010 launch, they have grown to become a leading online platform for independent brands and vintage shops. According to Vogue, ASOS Marketplace allows boutiques, vintage collectors, individuals, and designers – established or unknown – to trade from their virtual market to customers worldwide.

Today, the ASOS marketplace showcases over 800 boutiques all over the world. Their product range includes 90s vintage sportswear, global boutiques, hand-made jewelry, and more. According to ASOS, the marketplace allows them to get ahead of new trends before other known retailers. As a result, they attract customers who are early adopters looking for authentic clothing they can’t find elsewhere.

How to Join ASOS Marketplace

ASOS Marketplace is an ideal marketplace for anyone owning a vintage boutique or their own brand and looking to increase global sales. For 20 British Pounds (which equals around $24 in U.S. Dollars), your vintage boutique or brand will have access to ASOS Marketplace and all the features it offers.

However, you must meet these requirements before joining:

• Must own an independent brand or a vintage boutique.
• Must sell clothing, accessories such as bags and jewelry, and shoes.
• Must have at least 15 styles in stock at all times.
• All product photos must be shot on a person and in natural daylight.

Once on the marketplace, boutiques must maintain at least a 90% rating. Also, they must always provide excellent customer service. Failure to do so can cause removal from the platform.

Why I Like and Recommend ASOS?

I believe ASOS is a great company to shop for men’s clothing because they sell everything you would find in other stores. Not only are there more options to choose from, but the prices are affordable. It can be a one-stop shop for all your clothing needs. Seeing what ASOS has to offer can boost both optimism and confidence.

Why optimism and confidence? You can feel optimistic that you have finally found a clothing store that can satisfy all your fashion and shopping needs. Also, clothing can make or break one’s confidence and self-esteem.

Help Discover My Own Style

I personally like ASOS because they help me solidify a style that is unique to me, that I could be proud of and confident in expressing. As weird as it may sound, I struggled with this for a long time.

As a teen, I could not afford all the clothes I saw online or in a store and wanted to own. Either I did not have a job at all or kept a job long enough to fully invest in my ideal closet. As a result, when I did have money, I had to choose what clothes to buy carefully. I had to buy clothes I could wear on multiple occasions and with different looks. Simply put, all my clothes were basic.

When choosing what clothes to buy, I consider quality, look, and price. This is why my go-to stores at the time included H&M, Forever 21, and PacSun. They sell clothes that are trendy but also basic and affordable. This allowed me to buy good clothes and prolong ownership for as long as possible. However, ASOS came in and changed the game for me. I can buy everything I need in one place and at the right price.

Diversity & Inclusion

One reason why I love ASOS is that they are all about young people. They sell all types of clothing and accessories for all young adults. It does not matter if you are short, tall, skinny, heavy, or identify as LGBTQ; ASOS has something for everybody. Also, they sell all types of casual, business, and other trendy looks.

What specifically attracted me to ASOS was the diversity of the models on its website. All the ASOS models represent all types of people. Many of them are not your typical ‘industry standard’ looking models. All ASOS models come from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Also, they all have different physical shapes and sizes.

With a diverse pool of models wearing their clothes, ASOS easily achieves its goal of representing its target market, ALL types of young people. As a college graduate majoring in Business, I can attest that this is a good marketing strategy. All clothing brands adopt this type of marketing if they have not already.

Seeing the diversity in ASOS’ models inspires me to take my modeling pursuits more seriously. Despite not having an ‘industry standard’ look (so I’ve been told), ASOS proves that you do not have to look a certain way to make it in the fashion industry. I was even surprised to learn on ASOS corporate website that they have a Model Welfare Policy. This policy helps support and protect the model’s physical and mental well-being. I wish I could travel to the United Kingdom and model in ASOS men’s clothing one day.

My ASOS Menswear Recommendations

Thank you for checking out my official wish list for online fashion retailer ASOS. This curated collection features all ASOS Men’s clothes I would like to own and recommend to you. Instead of spending hours searching through ASOS’s massive inventory on their website, consider searching through my recommendations on what to buy.

This post does contain affiliate links. This just means I will earn a small commission if you choose to purchase any of ASOS men’s clothing featured below via the links provided. Do not worry, there is no additional cost to you. Please read my full Disclaimers for more details.

UPDATED RECOMMENDATIONS COMING SOON

My ASOS Shopping Experience

Overall, my ASOS experience has been good. For the most part, they are a good company. I can always find what I’m looking for, in or close to my size. They have many styles to choose from and are always adding new ones. With their fast and easy shopping experience, ASOS allows me to have decent clothing to help me express myself better. Most importantly, their prices are great, and shipping has not been bad for me.

Since discovering ASOS men’s clothing, I have purchased various shirts, pants, suit separates, jackets, and shoes. While ASOS sells so many brands, most of what I own is from their own brand ASOS DESIGN. I prefer ASOS DESIGN items because they are just as stylish, comfortable, and good quality as other brands. Also, ASOS DESIGN items are more affordable than the other brands they sell.

Inventory

ASOS has a large inventory of men’s clothing to choose from. With over 850 brands, including their ASOS DESIGN brand, they have everything you need for any occasion. If you’re looking for something to wear for school, work, a special event, or around the house, ASOS has it. Also, the prices are affordable. 

Since ASOS inventory is so vast, it can be challenging to search through it all. The ASOS app and its search filters make searching for what I need a little easier. However, sometimes I feel like I’ve missed an item I would want because I did not search long enough.

Another thing about ASOS inventory that can be an issue for some is how specific sizes can sell out faster than others. With ASOS men’s clothing, small and medium sizes will likely sell out fast. This is usually the case for new products and styles that many men want.

Quality

The quality of ASOS clothing can vary. My best example is the ‘River Island Tall Suede Chelsea Boots in Black.’ These boots were one of my very first ASOS purchases in 2017. Although these are not ASOS DESIGN boots, I still own and wear them today. The quality is still intact; I only must do a simple wipe-down to maintain them.

On the other hand, I have purchased ASOS men’s shirts and pants that did not last as long as the River Island Chelsea Boots. After about a year or so, plus a few laundry cycles, some items did shrink, fade, or wear out. Some people I know have also experienced the declining quality of their ASOS purchases within six months to a year. The number one reason for this is that a lot of ASOS clothing is made of cotton. At the same time, others have received poor-quality items upon arrival.

I often have issues exchanging clothes because they are too big or small. This is usually a common issue with shopping online. However, I often make this mistake when shopping online at European stores because I forget that many European sizes fit differently than American sizes.

Discounts

Another aspect of ASOS I like is their discounts. ASOS is always giving a discount to their customers. ASOS’s most consistent discount is their 10% off student discount. Their target market is young people who are most likely students. Their student discount has always come in the clutch while I was in college.

ASOS gives a 10% student discount to students who register for it on their website. A school email address and the expected graduation year are required to verify student status. Once verified, students will receive their own 10% off discount code. That code can be used for every ASOS purchase until they graduate.

Aside from ASOS, two third-party services provide 10% off every ASOS student purchase. The two services are called Uniday’s and StudentBeans. They offer discounts for various companies exclusively for college students. However, students must verify their enrollment in school to use both.

Shipping & Returns

The quality of ASOS shipping service can vary. Overall, it is fast, cheap, and sometimes free. While I personally have not had any shipping issues (knocks on wood), other customers, including some of my friends, have.

Some of ASOS’s shipping woes stem from inclement weather to the sorting, handling, and delivery by the shipping carriers. However, many customers have expressed shipping issues that include:

• Slow order processing at the ASOS fulfillment center. This can lead to a longer delivery time.
• ASOS fulfillment center is messing up customers’ orders. This can include shipping the wrong size and/or item.
• Customers are paying additional customs fees. ASOS does disclose that these fees are possible. However, based on customer feedback, that may only sometimes be the case.
• Any or all of the above.

It is essential to understand that ASOS is a large global retailer that processes thousands of orders daily. As a result, some orders are bound to slip through the cracks and mess up. If there is an issue with your order, ASOS makes contacting their in-house customer service easy.

Premium Delivery

Currently, I subscribe to the ASOS Premium Delivery service. It was initially only $12 per year, but now it is $19. With this service, I get unlimited and free standard and express shipping. Yes, this service does include free next-day delivery.

While no minimum order value is required to use this service, there are other restrictions to keep in mind:

1. Free next-day delivery is only available for some addresses. If it is available for your address, the minimum order value is $50.
2. Certain brands may have delivery restrictions.
3. My subscription is locked into the ASOS USA store. This means I cannot use Premium Delivery in another country.
4. The shipping issues outlined above are still possible.

Check your zip code to see if you can use ALL of ASOS Premium Delivery services, including free next-day delivery. Also, contact customer support if you need any help with shipping.

Returns

ASOS return policy is not what it used to be. In the past, ASOS would offer free returns for all its products purchased within 45 days. This return window is longer than many other clothing stores. If customers request to return something within 28 days, ASOS gives them a full refund. However, return requests made after 28 days until 45 days will receive a gift voucher for a future purchase. Either way, all shipments included a free return label.

By 2019, according to Vox, things began to change. ASOS no longer wanted to make it easy for customers to buy multiple items, assuming that some or most would be returned within 28 days. It isn’t good for business because too many returns mean:

• Fewer profits
• Increased labor costs
• More markdowns and items out-of-stock
• Bad for the environment

ASOS processing so many returns can cause stress on staff who must process them. It isn’t good for the environment because returns require transport via large trucks. Also, since many returned items aren’t restocked, they end up in landfills.

Now, ASOS still allows free returns within 45 days of purchase. Everything I wrote earlier still applies except for free return labels. ASOS no longer includes free return labels in all order shipments. They now ask customers to cover the delivery costs to their warehouse.

Final Thoughts

My main advice for ASOS is never lose sight of quality products and customer service. I say this because as ASOS continues to grow since my first purchase from them, the number of complaints I read or hear about is growing. A lot of the complaints range from poor-quality products to shipping issues. Sometimes, I will also come across a complaint about a bad customer service experience with ASOS support staff.

For example, one of my best friends had a shipping issue where they had yet to receive their ASOS order. They should have received a full refund. However, ASOS customer service refused to give it to them.

Another thing ASOS could do differently is have more small and medium sizes in stock. They are both ASOS’ and their target market’s most popular sizes. Therefore, they should ensure more customers can buy their most popular clothes in the size they desire.

Conclusion

Aside from the issues mentioned above, I still support ASOS and what they stand for. They are still a reliable source of a wide variety of trendy and affordable clothes. Their emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and social responsibility will always stand out to me.

I hope you enjoyed my ASOS menswear review and can find some inspiration in ASOS as I did. One more time, they have something for everybody. Leave a comment below or send me a message with any thoughts or questions you have.