<text>  Its affordable style is worn by everyone from Samantha Cameron to Rihanna - and in 2012 it became the most visited fashion website in the world for 18 to 34-year-olds. But as the Duchess of Cambridge - who is one of the most emulated women in the world - stepped out in a dress by ASOS this week, it proved how far the e-tailer has come from its humble beginnings in 2000. The Duchess dressed her bump in a spotty 35 wrap dress from the virtual high street on a visit to the Brookhill Childrens Centre in Londons Woolwich on Wednesday. In the past year, ASOSs share value has doubled with millions of fashion fans rushing online to snap up its daily new drops. So where did it all begin for the booming brand? Scroll down for video . The royal seal of approval: The Duchess of Cambridge dressed her bump in a spotty 35 wrap dress from ASOS on a visit to the Brookhill Childrens Centre in Londons Woolwich on Wednesday, so how did the e-tailer take off so quickly? The site was founded in 2000 by Nick Robertson and Quentin Griffiths under the name As Seen On Screen. With the founder of Austin Reed for a grandfather, it seems that Nick was always destined for a career in fashion. Nick, who attended private school, Canford, got two Ds and an F in his A-levels - which he confessed were diabolical - and spent a brief period as a ski bum in Meribel, France, before joining advertising firm Young Rubicam and Carat. How things started: It was founded in 2000 by Nick Robertson, and Quentin Griffiths under the name As Seen On Screen and they poached buyer Lorri Penn, centre, from Sir Philip Greens Arcadia to help them get in touch with what customers wanted . Entrepeneur: Nick, who attended private school, Canford, got two Ds and an F in his A-levels and spent a brief period as a ski bum in Meribel, France, before launching the site . In 1996, he and friend Quentin Griffiths set up Entertainment Marketing, which made money by getting brands featured on soaps. Four years later, they launched ASOS with 2.4million, mostly borrowed from friends and family. The duos original idea was to help customers track down the clothes and furniture seen on TV. Nick explained: We read a stat back in 1999 that when the programme Friends aired, NBC got 4,000 calls about some standard lamp in one of their apartments asking where it could be purchased. So that was the real idea behind the business. They poached buyer Lorri Penn from Sir Philip Greens Arcadia to help them get in touch with what customers wanted and focused solely on celebrity fashion by selling near-matches of what stars were wearing. By 2003, ASOS was already in profit and had launched its own label. Early days: Nick Robertson, CEO of internet-based fashion retailer ASOS, is flanked by models Gia, left, and Alice at the companys north London office prior to the announcement of preliminary results back in the early 2000s . Star seller: Nick Robertson was awarded an OBE for Services to the Fashion Industry during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace and sales for the financial year ending 31 August 2013 were 753.8m . It went on to expand into beauty and big brands started getting on board after it became the first UK fashion retailer to launch a moving images catwalk. In 2007, ASOS Magazine launched with 400,000 copies sent out to customers a month and cover stars including the likes of Taylor Swift. Then, the e-tailer branched out into menswear and the following year, retail sales jumped 90 per cent while profits leapt 117 per cent. Sales started pouring in after the site offered next day delivery, and it widened its target audience by introducing Designer Brands at ASOS with a new range of high-end labels on board. Just like us: Samantha Cameron wore a 42 ASOS on the final day of the Conservative Party Conference with her husband, Prime Minister David Cameron, in 2013 . From digital to print: In 2007, ASOS Magazine launched, with 400,000 copies sent out to customers a month with cover stars including the likes of Taylor Swift . Most visited fashion site in the world: Today, the site still sells its own label and 850 other brands and is visited by nearly 100m people a month . By 2011, ASOS went multi-channel, multi-lingual and joined forces with social networks as international sales soared by 142 per cent, with dedicated sites for countries all over the world. In 2012, offices were opened in New York and Sydney and later in Berlin and Shanghai. Today, the site still sells its own label alongside 850 other brands, and gives boutiques the chance to sell new and pre-worn fashion through its Marketplace channel. Writing about the e-tailers success on its site, ASOS say: When we said we wanted to be truly global, we meant it. In the year when we took over as the number one most visited fashion website in the world, per day, by 18-34 year olds, we opened our first international offices - and we have plans for more. Sales for the financial year ending 31 August 2013 were 753.8m and ASOS PLC had an estimated net worth of 159m. Its website attracted 98m visits during December 2014. It seems that the rise of ASOS really is unstoppable. In the past month alone, stars including Kimberley Walsh, left, and Charli XCX, right, have worn designs that cost under 50 from the site . 