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Topics: Shopping, Money, Social Media
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Shopping, Money, Social Media
Online shoppers have been left mind-blown this week after discovering the true meaning behind ASOS' name.
The fashion and accessory retailer has been a top-pick for shoppers in need of a last-minute night-out outfit or impromptu birthday, with its next-day delivery service often knocking competitors like Boohoo and PLT out of the park.
What you may not have realised, however, is that - like many other clothing brands, M&S, H&M, HMV - ASOS isn't just the catchy name of the brand and is, in fact, an acronym.
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And - much like I did when I first caught wind of the shocking news - hundreds of online shoppers have seemingly freaked out following the revelation that the name actually stands for 'as seen on screen'.
When the fashion brand first launched in 2000 it was actually called 'As Seen On Screen' and as the name suggests you could buy copies of clothes, which appeared in movies or on TV.
They used to pair with major celebrities and offer styles worn by famous faces so if you saw a celebrity and thought 'I want to wear what they wear' you knew where to get it.
A couple of years later, it decided to sell other clothes as well and thought its original name probably wouldn't do a good job of communicating this.
Luckily, it could be squashed down into a handy acronym which ended up going on to be a hugely famous brand name.
Now everybody gets the treat of learning what the ASOS name stands for, or if you already know it, you get to be the one who wows your friends with this nifty bit of trivia.
People working this out for the first time are absolutely shocked to find out there's more in a name than they first thought.
One person tweeted this week: "Didn't know until quite recently that ASOS used to be As Seen On Screen x"
Another penned: "For the longest time I did not know that ASOS stands for As Seen On Screen"
"i can’t believe asos stands for as seen on screen," wrote a third.
Others who did already know what was behind ASOS said it made them 'feel so old' to see new generations discovering the truth.
It's a bit weird to think ASOS is over 20 years old and for lots of people who shopped there they never knew it used to be called something else.
As for how you say it, it's pronounced 'ay-sos' instead of 'ay-es-oh-es', so let's hope you weren't saying it wrong all this time.
The brand itself confirmed it doesn't want you to sound out every single letter in their name, just the first one.
Now you know all about ASOS and its real name, so you can dazzle your friends with your knowledge of fashion brand history.