So ASOS, formerly As Seen on Screen, has announced a 90% increase in year-on-year sales (£81m).

Does this mean they’ve got the market sewn up? Have they created a product/brand/service that fashionistas just can’t live without? And is this a web business that is simply untouchable?

Figures, numbers and a four pence increase in the company’s share price would suggest so.

Although ASOS is a business that has so far understood how web works and constantly adapts its brand, I would say there needs to be some caution when celebrating its success.

Yes, it has virtually come from nowhere to compete with bricks and mortar brands. Yes, it has picked up on a niche (celebrity fashion) at the right time and yes, it has grown into a beast that has fashion brands dying to be a part of it. But how long will it last?

I reckon ASOS is in danger of becoming the Yahoo! of the online fashion world. Not that Yahoo!, which is worth $44bn, is a failure, but it’s hardly Google - the first name in search.

Online fashion is still a growing market (as was search), and ASOS seems to be one of the first online only beneficiaries (as was Yahoo). But then will come along a product that’s bigger and better (just like Google).

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The size zero debate has been done to death, and eco fashion on the catwalk is yesterday’s news.

It looks as if the focus is going to be on models of colour. Or the distinct lack of models of colour.

Naomi Campbell and Diddy on the cover of Vogue October 2001

I was pleased (so to speak) when Naomi Capbell first spoke out about black models rarely being chosen for advertising.

According to The Independent on Sunday Carole White from the Premier Model Agency has said she has received briefs from clients stating “no ethnics”. Can you believe this happens in this day and age?!

Whilst many commentators will conclude the fashion industry is racist, should we not instead look to why they are - if such allegations are true - doing it?

Money makes the world go round. Advertisers want people to spend, spend and spend. If they’re finding that only white models inspire people to spend would we not then lay the ‘racism’ tag at the general public?

Afterall, if people were equally inspired to spend a product modelled by a black model as much as a white model surely fashion brands wouldn’t engage in a “no ethnics” practice.

Wherever the root cause of this problem exists there is undoubtedly a problem. Hopefully, this debate will lead people to think “do I only react to advertising which uses people that look like me?”

I would guess the honest answer would be uncomfortable for most, if not all, of us.

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As well as a directory enquiries service, you can now call or text 118 118 to answer a question on anything with their ‘Ask us Anything’ service.

I decided to try this out by texting…

What are the three most popular fashion websites in the UK?

To which 22 minutes later I received the response…

According to the BBC, Marks and Spencer’s website has topped the fashion retail along with rivals Next and Top Shop. Thanks for texting the 118 Team.

I suspect they got the answer from this BBC News report on website usability.

Before I had time to finish reading the answer I had another text from 118 118…

The 118118 text team felt that the last answer took us longer to answer than we’d like. So this time we haven’t charged you. Please text 118118 again soon.

But I suppose my vague question warranted a vague, and slow, response. Perhaps I should have been more specific and asked “what are the top three fashion etailers in the UK by sales?”

Answer: Marks and Spencer, Next, ASOS

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So there’s a new series on BBC Three called Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts following six Brits living as factory workers to see if they change their attitudes to fast fashion.

We’re accustomed to cheap, disposable fashion and I don’t think that is going to change for a couple of years at least.

Just this morning I noticed an advert for H&M in the Metro for a £3.99 dress.

Today’s social conscience belongs to the environment. Recycling paper, using less carrier bags and taxing gas guzzling cars is today’s moral in thing.

Tomorrow’s moral in thing will be ethical fashion. In two or three years time high street stores, which embrace ethical fashion, will report better growth than those that don’t.

Ethical labels and stores, already engaged in building up brand awareness, will benefit most when this shift occurs.

But it’s going to be a while before that shift. Just today Primark is reportedly close to overtaking M&S as Britain’s top clothing store, proving we’re still in love with fast fashion.

Visit the Primark website
Visit the H&M website

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Last year there was some criticism aimed at social networking websites Facebook and MySpace for failing act quickly enough on the growing number of pro-anorexia groups on their websites.

As we were just about to launch OSOYOU, I wanted to speak to Susan Ringwood from the UK’s leading eating disorders charity b-eat. After meeting Susan it became clear that b-eat should be OSOYOU’s chosen charity.

We decided to organise an event at London’s very swish Met Bar, with help from Dove Spas, for the charity’s Just 1 Day campaign.

The event theme was “feeling good about yourself”, so we had therapists giving massages, The Body Gossip sofa - a sofa where people write how they feel about their body - and stars such as Sarah Jayne Dunn and Mikyla Dodd (Mandy and Chloe from Hollyoaks), the Samanda twins and Jen Hunter showed their support by turning up.

Visit the b-eat website

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