Asos Marketplace brings back charity boutiques

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Oct 14, 2019

After an initial launch in May, Asos is reintroducing the charity boutique concept with more partners this autumn.

The initiative allows charity organisations to sell a range of pre-loved fashion on Asos Marketplace free of charge. All proceeds go directly to each charity, helping them raise valuable funds for their separate causes.

This season, the e-tailer's first three partners children’s charity Barnardo’s, textile recycling organisation Traid and Oxfam will be joined by Save the Children and British Red Cross.

Over the coming months, each charity boutique will release a series of seasonal products, from Christmas jumpers and Christmas gifts to unisex clothing, '90s premium sportswear, designer clothing and vintage jackets.

Alex Cousins, Marketplace lead at Asos, said: “Following the successful launches of Barnardo’s, Traid and the Oxfam Festival Shop on Asos Marketplace in the summer, we’re now expanding our roster of charity boutiques to include Save the Children and British Red Cross, helping us make it even easier for our customers to shop in a sustainable and responsible way while supporting the crucial work of these well-known charities.”

Shopping pre-loved fashion is becoming a more mainstream activity, fuelled by the rise in popularity of millennial shopping app Depop and the birth of several new resale platforms. 

Working together with charities is also a smart move from Asos in an era of heightened consumer activism. Asos said its Marketplace platform, which charges a 20% commission, facilitated the sale of over 250,000 vintage items in 2018.