I Went to ASOS Headquarters to See What Its Coolest Employees Wear
If you exit a subway station called Mornington Crescent in London between Mondays and Fridays, you will join a procession of hundreds of London's most adventurous dressers. You can follow the trail of paint box–colored sneakers, clashing prints, and Insta-bait accessories straight across the road to the ASOS head offices.
Upon my arrival at the reception area, it quickly became apparent that this is an office where people really dress up for work. At 10:30 a.m. on a Thursday morning, I spied Clueless-esque crop tops, leopard-print leggings, rainbow sequins, and glittery orange eye shadow passing through the security barriers. I met nine members of the 4200-member team from across different departments and asked them to wear an outfit that represents how they dress for work every day. From zebra prints paired with florals to multicolored patchwork jeans, these nine outfits all challenge our idea of workwear. Keep scrolling to see how they dress at one of the most stylish offices in London.
Felicia Pennant, Deputy Features Editor
On Felicia Pennant: ASOS Design Button Through Contrast Stitch Midi Pinafore Sundress ($40), Amelie Leather Ring Boots ($103), and Cutout Monogram Hoop Earrings ($9); Reclaimed Vintage Inspired Cat-Eye Sunglasses in Black ($32)
Felicia works on the magazine team, where she does interviews, features, and trend pieces. This dress-and-boots combo is her workwear uniform, as she explains: "I wear flats, firstly—usually Doc Martens—and some kind of midi pleated skirt or midi dress with a defined waist. It's always midi, and usually in black or a dark color. I also wear blue, but that's more of a football thing because I'm a big Chelsea fan, so I will wear Chelsea Blue. It's really dangerous working here; I have never bought so much in my life. I am very into earrings and jewelry, and with my hair, I can get away with really big earrings, so I always do that. I am more of an accessories person and am all about buying classic pieces and then tapping into trends with fun accessories."
On Felicia Pennant: ASOS Design Button Through Contrast Stitch Midi Pinafore Sundress ($40)
On Felicia Pennant: ASOS Reclaimed Vintage Inspired Cat-Eye Sunglasses in Black ($32)
Dominique Reiman and Lauren Reiman, Shoot Assistants, Model Studio
On Dominique Reiman: ASOS Design Belted Minidress (coming soon); Dr. Martens shoes
On Lauren Reiman: ASOS Design Washed Cotton Boilersuit With Button Detail ($60); Monki bag
Identical twins Lauren and Dominique don't only share a wardrobe—they also share the exact same job. The twins are both shoot assistants in the model studio, where they create product images for the site. "We shoot about 60 products a day," explains Dominique. "We have about four minutes to shoot each product, and that includes video as well, so it's very fast-paced. We are quite relaxed and casual at work because we have to do a lot of running about, so we wear a lot of sneakers, jumpsuits, Converse, sliders, and slouchy, relaxed clothes."
"We share all of our clothes, and it makes it easy. If something looks good on Dom, it will look good on me," says Lauren. "It just means we run out of clothes a lot quicker because we think, I've seen that on her a million times. We both pick out what we like and then Dom tries on everything; she's always been our designated 'try-er on-er.' We mainly base what we buy around our work wardrobe, and if we won't wear it to work, then there's no point buying it."
On Lauren Reiman: ASOS Design Washed Cotton Boilersuit With Button Detail ($60); Monki bag
On Dominique Reiman: ASOS Design Belted Minidress (coming soon); Dr. Martens shoes
On Lauren Reiman: ASOS Design Washed Cotton Boilersuit With Button Detail ($60); Monki bag
Sara Brown, Assistant Designer, Tailoring
On Sara Brown: ASOS Design Mixed-Print Trophy Dress ($72) and Multicoloured Bead Crossbody Bag ($45); Zara sandals; Vintage Ralph Lauren belt; ASOS Curve rings; Zoe & Morgan earrings
Sara is a designer in the tailoring department, creating the blazers, trousers, skirts, shorts, and many of the co-ords you see on ASOS. She also oversees ASOS Curve's Instagram account. "Color gets me excited," Sara explains. "I love it and it's part of my job to do the color research for ASOS—going through shows and finding what colors are coming through for the season and forecasting the next key colors. I have always loved color, but it's only become more and more important to me. Now I buy everything colorful—if possible—and will only wear black as something to wear with bright colors," she says. For this season, Sara is loving rainbow prints and rich colors like buttermilk and '70s-inspired sage green. Why? Because she thinks they always look expensive.
On Sara Brown: ASOS Design Mixed-Print Trophy Dress ($72) and Multicoloured Bead Crossbody Bag ($45)
On Sara Brown: Zara sandals
Coco Mell, Junior Sportswear Stylist
On Coco Mell: Vogue Eyewear Cat-Eye Sunglasses by Gigi Hadid ($122); ASOS jacket and jeans (coming soon); Converse Chuck Taylor All Star '70 Hi Plimsolls in Orange ($51)
Coco is a junior sportswear stylist, and so as expected, she is a self-confessed "massive sneakerhead." She explains: "I own in the realm of 100 (or close to that) trainers, and I keep them in storage and a lot of compartments in my room. I collect socks too, to accompany the trainers."
"I wear anything that's loud," Coco says of what she usually wears to work. "Color is normally my thing. I like to mix textures and fabrics, such as denim and silk. The weather is my nemesis, so I often bring two options to work and do a midday Mariah Carey change. I massively make an effort for work. As a stylist, I'm an ambassador for the brand. Even if I'm not in the building, I still have to look the part. I pride myself on my appearance all the time—from my hair down to my shoes. It always has to be a certain level, and if it's not, then I'm not normally happy. I am stringent at planning everything the night before. I iron and try everything on and I spend an hour every single night on my outfit just for one day. Not for a week—for one day. I do that religiously no matter what time I get in."
On Coco Mell: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star '70 Hi Plimsolls in Orange ($51)
On Coco Mell: ASOS jacket and jeans (coming soon); Vogue Eyewear Cat-Eye Sunglasses by Gigi Hadid ($122)
Lotte Williams, Social Executive
On Lotte Williams: ASOS Design Pleated Maxi Dress With Side Buttons in Ditsy Floral ($87, also available in curve); Nike sneakers; ASOS Bum Bag in Black ($16)
Lotte is an ASOS Insiders and is on the social media team, working on the brand's Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat accounts. "Ever since becoming an Insider, I really have to think about what I'm wearing every single day in case I need a photo," Lotte says of what she wears to work. "I'm a big fan of a dress and am normally in a midi floral dress like this one. I like a key piece that I can chuck on and wear with trainers or dress up if I feel like it. My Nike Air Forces are my staple everyday shoes."
On Lotte Williams: Nike sneakers
On Lotte Williams: ASOS Bum Bag in Black ($16)
Ele Pucci, Pattern Room Intern
On Ele Pucci: ASOS White Suede Kitten Heels ($95); ASOS Design T-Shirt in Boxy Fit With Florida Orange Print ($19) and Recycled Florence Authentic Straight-Leg Jeans in Chayne Green Cast With Rips ($39); ASOS Small Pointy Cat-Eye Sunglasses ($19); Orange check jacket made by Ele
Ele is a 12-month intern working in the pattern room, seeing how the designers' works are brought to life. This is her typical work look, as she explains: "I wear a lot of slogan T-shirts, jeans, and shoes with a mini heel. Part of being in the pattern room is that they encourage you to make your own things, and as tailoring is the hardest to get right, I made this jacket as part of my internship. My favorite thing I've worked on is sequined wide-leg flares." A love of color is something that many of the ASOS staff have in common. Ele says, "I wear a lot of color and so will always, always have on something bright—especially in the summer. I've also got loads of striped T-shirts, so those are my staples."
On Ele Pucci: ASOS White Suede Kitten Heels ($95)
On Ele Pucci: ASOS Design T-Shirt in Boxy Fit With Florida Orange Print ($19) and Recycled Florence Authentic Straight-Leg Jeans in Chayne Green Cast With Rips ($39); ASOS Small Pointy Cat-Eye Sunglasses ($19); Orange check jacket made by Ele
Michelle Hung, Creative Digital Video Producer
On Michelle Hung: ASOS Design Jumpsuit in Twill With Tie Detail and Wide Leg ($64); Nike SB T-Shirt in White With Logo Print (£27); Puma Suede Platforms in White With Embroidery ($166)
Michelle is ASOS's video producer, working on everything from campaign videos to Instagram videos. But she hasn't caught the color bug that is going around ASOS, as she wears almost exclusively black. "I have just redecorated my house, so I have just put all my go-tos on a rail. Everything is black and gray, and there's maybe a white shirt. I don't like to stand out so much, so I feel best in black with a tiny touch of color." As for her work wardrobe, she adds, "I am always running up and down on set, so need to be comfortable. I usually wear Converse or Vans, jeans, and a T-shirt. Sometimes I wear a shirt to dress up."
On Michelle Hung: ASOS Design Jumpsuit in Twill With Tie Detail and Wide Leg ($64)
On Michelle Hung: Puma Suede Platforms in White With Embroidery ($166)
Holly Hope Harper, Beauty PR Manager
On Holly Harper: Sam Edelman shoes; ASOS White Long Sleeved Silk Dress ($174)
Holly is the face and body PR manager, so it's the beauty section that she spends the most of her time on. "Normally, I wear a pair of jeans, Stan Smiths, and a black T-shirt—unless I have a meeting, in which I'd wear something similar to what I'm wearing today: an ASOS white dress, some chunky, fun heels, and lipstick. I like makeup to be an accent—whether it's a blue eye shadow or an orange lip. I will always have with me ASOS mascara, some kind of foundation from MAC or Nars, and always a Laguna Bronze bronzer."
On Holly Harper: Sam Edelman shoes
Next up, check out work-approved dresses under $100.
This post originally appeared on Who What Wear UK.
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