The Zozosuit: Creator of this billion-dollar polka dot ‘smart suit’ wants to change the way we buy clothes

THIS woman’s unusual polka-dot suit provides a simple solution to a common problem we all have — and it’s making its creator super rich.

Zozosuit fans are sharing photos of themselves in the suit on social media.

IF YOU’VE ever struggled to find clothes that fit, the answer to your fashion dilemmas could be this black and white, polka-dot outfit.

Created in 2011 by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, the Zozosuit consists of skin-tight leggings and a long-sleeve top covered in 350 sensors.

The Zozo suit in action.

When connected to a smartphone app, the suit’s sensor calculates your exact measurements “more accurately than a human tailor”, its makers claim.

Those measurements are then used to create jeans, T-shirts, shirts and blouses, or suits that fit your body perfectly.

Some of the basic clothing items you can buy from Zozo — prices are in US dollars.

The Zozosuit is free but costs about $15 to ship to Australia, and the custom-made clothes range from about $30 for a T-shirt to $275 for a two-piece business suit.

After it launched in Japan last November, one million orders for the suit were placed over the following six months.

Earlier this month, the Zozosuit was made available in more than 70 countries, including Australia. The company expects it will distribute up to 10 million suits by March next year.

Its total net sales for the 2017-18 financial year were about 100 billion yen, or $1.2 billion, the company told reporters at a Tokyo event launching its formal apparel line in July.

The Zozosuit works with your smartphone to take your exact measurements. Picture: Imgur

The suit’s novelty factor is the company’s best marketing tool – customers love sharing photos of themselves wearing the suit on social media.

The Zozosuit’s tagline is “custom-fit clothing for a size free world”. It aims to solve a problem many consumers have when shopping — clothes that don’t fit well, or at all.

The fashion industry has been widely criticised for failing to provide a wide ranges of sizes that fit all body types.

Customers often complain that clothes made in bigger sizes are simply shapeless sacks, with little thought put into creating flattering cuts.

“We built Zozo with the aim of offering people something truly different — a size-free world,” Alisa Gould-Simon, VP of marketing and business development at Start Today USA, the company that owns the Zozosuit, told news.com.au.

“Everyone needs basics that fit well. We have worked hard to keep the price low so that our products are affordable and can be available to as many people as possible. Everyone can use a great pair of jeans that feel made for them, or an affordable custom-made Oxford shirt, so we expect that a very wide range of people can enjoy our clothes,” Ms Gould-Simon said.

Even the suit’s creator, Mr Maezawa, said he couldn’t find clothes that fit him well.

“I’m quite short compared to average sizes, so it has always been difficult to find a perfect fit,” Mr Maezawa told the Telegraph UK.

“It’s something that’s bothered me for a long time. I realised that if I was having trouble finding perfectly fitting clothing, then many others must have the same problem. I can’t wear any other denim now because these fit me so perfectly,” he said.

His aim for the Zozosuit? For everyone in the world to own one.

“I’m hoping to target as many people as there are in the world: six or seven billion,” he said. “I want the idea of ordering bespoke online clothing to become part of the infrastructure of daily life, just like electricity, water, gas.”

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