ASOS has a lot of headline-grabbing activity going on at the moment and following the recovering e-tail giant’s huge strategy announcement last week, now it has unveiled a brand new premium label.

Called Arrange, and available exclusively via the webstore, it blends “directional design with a feminine edge”, we’re told. The company also said the label is “bringing a unique take on elevated dressing to ASOS’s audience of fashion-loving customers”.

“London-born and women-led”, Arrange offers “a capsule of standout occasion dresses and luxe essentials. Combining a couture sensibility with a practical mindset, each piece is designed and pattern-cut in-house from premium materials, and sized inclusively (from UK 4-30)”.

It’s interesting that the launch comes at the same time as rival Boohoo Group relaunches and rebrands PrettyLittleThing and it too is talking about luxury and elevation. It seems businesses once closely associated with fast fashion are aiming to move beyond that into a more highly-valued arena — and perhaps to focus less closely on a core 20-something audience.

Prices reflect this. While not at luxury level, they’re far from the ‘buy it in every colour and wear it just a few times’ pricing of fast fashion’s heyday.

For instance, a chiffon pleat maxi dress is £160, a cutwork dress is £180, an embellished halter top is £120, a geo sequin dress is £250, a barrel jean is £65, leather city shorts are £150, a blazer is £120, and a knot detail T-shirt is £35.

ASOS said the new line’s signature design details – “oversized paillettes, hand-painted prints, bold colours, [and] experimental silhouettes” – appear throughout the collection.

Meanwhile the e-tailer said the accompanying campaign “spotlights the collection’s distinctive aesthetic: beautiful craftsmanship and unexpected pairings of cut, colour, proportion and texture. A dramatic embellished skirt is pared back with an oversized white T-shirt; an ice-blue trapeze top is styled with tobacco suede trousers; a red co-ord reveals an impressive attention to detail in its white contrast stitching.

“A selection of signature pieces, like the barrel-leg Sydney jean, recur from season to season – putting a refined spin on the most-wanted silhouettes and inspiring collection and curation over time”.

Vanessa Spence, executive VP of Creative at ASOS, said “the designers’ passion for this premium brand shines through in the level of detail and craftsmanship in the collection”.

Bags label Kipling has hosted its first-ever event in London, which it said “sets the stage for an exciting new chapter for the brand in the UK”.

The event — at Village Underground in Shoreditch — late last week was staged to support the unveiling of its latest collection, G.rilla Girlz, “while celebrating its most iconic designs”. 

As part of a 360-degree marketing activation, the event brought together influencers, content creators, industry leaders and press for an immersive experience in support of a collection that’s described as “fresh and outgoing… designed for the now. It’s not just about bags, it’s a whole vibe. Iconic styles are reimagined with bold colours and smooth recycled satin, designed for the trendsetters who aren’t afraid to make a statement – unapologetically Kipling”.

It added that the G.rilla Girlz offer “was designed to match a unique vibe for every woman, making these bags the perfect companions for all lifestyles. The Kipling monkey played a starring role, reinforcing the brand’s core values of playfulness, creativity, and self-expression”.

The company said Village Underground “was carefully chosen to reflect the brand’s bold and playful energy, featuring a striking set-up that blended fur, metallic textures, and dynamic lighting, all paying homage to Kipling’s signature monkey mascot”.

Beyond the event, it has launched a two-week out-of-home campaign, featuring fly-postering across key locations in London, Belgium and Spain. 

The highlight was a giant inflatable of Kipling’s signature monkey at King’s Cross Station last week. To celebrate, “Kipling invited fans to join the moment, with a few lucky winners receiving an invitation to the exclusive event”.

There was also a social media takeover to “showcase Kipling’s versatile bags in everyday moments, led by top influencers and creators”. 

Away from the London event, the brand’s key retail partners in other markets, including Inno (Belgium), El Corte Inglés (Spain) and Galleria (Germany), also activated in-store displays featuring furry installations, “bringing the campaign to life in a tactile, engaging way”.

Shop price inflation stayed as shop price deflation in February with the latest figures from the British Retail consortium showing prices fell 0.7% year on year last month. That was the same dip as it had reported in January. 

And for non-food products, the fall in the BRC-NIQ Shop Price Index was even more marked at 2.1%, a bigger drop than the 1.8% deficit seen in January.

The overall figure was skewed by the fact that food prices continued to rise, edging up by 2.1% in February compared to just a 1.6% increase in January.

And while food prices may not seem directly linked to fashion retailers and brands, the fact is that with prices for necessities still rising, consumer are more likely to cut back on discretionary items and fashion is frequently cited as the products they’ll leave on the store rails when money is tight.

That’s a key reason why non-food prices continue to fall with BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson saying that “discounting is still widespread in fashion as retailers tried to entice customers against a backdrop of weak demand”.

She expects inflation to rise across the board as the year progresses “with geopolitical tensions running high and the imminent £7 billion increase in costs from the Autumn Budget and the new packaging levy arriving on the doorsteps of retailers”.

The BRC expects food prices to be up by 4%+ by the second half of the year, and while Dickinson didn’t give a prediction for non-food prices, chances are that even more discounts will be required.

Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer and Business Insight, NielsenIQ, said: “With many household bills increasing over the next few weeks, shoppers will be looking carefully at their discretionary spend and this may help keep prices lower at non-food retailers.”