Can "WEAR" become the iTunes of fashion? Start Today CEO Maezawa's Ambitions Vol.2

Oct 22, 2013

Maezawa's "WEAR" features three main functions: barcode scanning, outfit search (outfit recipes), and closet organization (my closet). The features can also be shared on social media.

The outfit recipes feature allows users to search for outfits posted by fashion leaders such as models and celebrities officially selected by WEAR, as well as shop staff and general users. The outfits include the poster's attributes, information about the items worn, and unique tag information (party, outdoor, etc.), allowing users to find the outfit they need based on color, occasion, and other factors. Brand staff can post new arrivals and suggest outfit recipes along with arrival information.

"Until now, fashion e-commerce has focused on individual items, but the spread of WEAR will make it possible to sell outfits as a whole," Maezawa said. Zozotown also offered a feature for searching for rankings of outfits by shop staff, but not the ability to follow specific contributors. WEAR further evolves these functions into a service, with the goal of expanding the user base without considering monetization for the time being. "Our target is everyone with a smartphone. If Cookpad is for cooking recipes, WEAR will be for fashion recipes," says Maezawa. Furthermore, by adding a My Closet function, something not previously achieved by its predecessors, the goal is to create a database of a vast range of apparel products. As long as a barcode is registered, all products will be added to the database, and the service will be available free of charge to anyone with an online store. Users can also take photos of their wardrobe and register them as images, adding them to their closet. To use an example from Apple, it's the same concept as iTunes, which allows users to add not only downloaded songs but also previously purchased CDs to their library. Clothes purchased online are easily added to the closet, and users can also photograph and register clothes purchased in physical stores. All retailers can also register their products. Contributors can also post outfits and increase their followers. While iTunes' Ping and Google's boutiques.com have both been discontinued, will WEAR's social networking service become more popular? In any case, the company's overwhelming strength lies in the vast database of apparel products it has cultivated through Zozotown, which is at its core, and is what makes it so appealing to users. What makes it different from iTunes is that WEAR does not sell the products themselves.

"WEAR is a level above Zozotown and the newly launched e-commerce mall LABOO. Our KPI is for this new service to easily surpass Start Today's previous business within a few years, and we are also considering expanding overseas," says President Maezawa, whose "Start Today" philosophy remains unchanged.

(Return to Vol. 1)
野田達哉
  • Can "WEAR" become the iTunes of fashion? Start Today CEO Maezawa's Ambitions Vol.2
  • "WEAR is a step above Zozotown and LABOO," says Maezawa.
  • "WEAR" coordinate search page
  • "WEAR" coordination page
  • "WEAR" My Page
  • "WEAR" barcode scan page
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