Morphsuits
Encyclopedia
Morphsuits is a company based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It distributes branded spandex
costumes, based on the existing zentai
concept. As of May 2011, it claims to be the world's largest fancy dress brand. The company offers at least 50 different designs.
The company was founded by brothers Ali and Fraser Smeaton, and their flatmate Gregor Lawson. The trio had jobs at Barclays, Procter & Gamble, and BT, which they left after the first year.
Expansion plans include children's sizes, and female-targeted accessories.
bodysuit. At the event, the friend became somewhat of a celebrity, being bought drinks and posing for hundreds of pictures. Researching the fancy dress market, the friends invested £3,000 each, redesigning the suit for better vision. The original corporate website cost $300. A variety of materials, thicknesses of material, and stitchings were tried. The moniker of "Morphsuits" stemmed from the fact that "we noticed that everyone who wore them morphed into a more fun version of themselves", says Fraser Smeaton.
Initially, shipping of the first batch of 200 costumes was done from their flat. Balancing their day jobs and the company meant "a lot of 2 a.m. finishes". Since then outsourcing has raised their indirect staffing to 200 as of August 2011.
One early boost to their sales was eight red Morphsuit wearers on the 2009 British Lions tour of South Africa. Their pictures in the sports news boosted awareness. Ironically, many early mainstream appearances of similar suits in North America in fact weren't their brand: The Green Men
, two fans of the Vancouver Canucks
NHL team, used Super Fan Suits, as do hip-hop group The Body Poets, while appearances on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
predate either brand's founding.
As of August 2011, there were 40 varieties, and 50 as of September 2011.
marketing" at Gillette and later Proctor and Gamble, leading marketing on Pantene, Pringles, and Gillette. He left P&G in July 2010. Lawson is brother of Rory Lawson
, son of Alan Lawson
, and grandson of Bill McLaren
.
In their first year, the company sold 20,000 costumes, bringing in £1.2 million. Between January and October 2010, the company shipped 10,000 units to Canada. As of Halloween 2010, they expected £6 million of business in the second year. In the 2010-2011 financial year, they did £4.5m in sales. They expect £10.5m in revenue in the 2011-2012 fiscal year. In October 2010, Morphsuits gave 2011 estimates of £6 million; by July 2011, they told the BBC of a year end estimate of £10 million. The company sold an initial order of 100,000 Morphsuits to retail chain Party City
.
The partners have no direct employees, all jobs are outsourced. As of summer 2011, that included a Chinese manufacturer, warehouses in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, and a customer contact centre in Fife
.
The founding entrepreneurs have spoken publicly about their dislike for UK tax rules, which make "company owners pay 40 per cent on any sum taken out in dividends above £35,000, against only 10 per cent if they were to sell their business." They have suggested incentives to expand operations would be more beneficial than "inducements" to sell up. The company has had overtures from private equity investors in mid-to-late-2011, since their Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards nomination in Scotland; the company suggests that they're too busy to pay much attention to these offers.
As of October 2010, Fraser looks after the business' commercial side, Gregor runs marketing, while Ali runs finance and logistics.
They have a return rate of just 1%, which they credit to the limited SKU, allowing them to ensure consistent quality of the product.
There are regional sales differences: in the United Kingdom, the product is considered year-round, with a small jump in sales near Halloween. In the United States, sales are much more highly focused at the Halloween season. The company runs 13 localized e-commerce websites.
Black is the company's most popular colour. The majority of customers are men, however there are women purchasers. The company hopes that a new morphsuit model with a built-on tutu
will expand female sales.
The company had a booth at the Halloween & Party Expo in Houston, Texas
.
The brand has tried to distance itself from the term "zentai", and the concept of fetish usage. Being one of the earliest brands to court a general market, the terms "Morphsuits" and "morphs" regularly are applied to events related to any sort of zentai suit. Their term risks becoming generic in the process; one New Zealand-based newspaper refers to competing brand, Jaskins, as a "one of the main online morphsuit brands." Says Gregor: "We now offer 23 different Lycra suits and we have lots of copycat competitors, but because we bought the name Morphsuits no one can trade under that name but us."
Spandex
Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
costumes, based on the existing zentai
Zentai
Zentai is a term for skin-tight garments that cover the entire body. The word is a contraction of zenshin taitsu...
concept. As of May 2011, it claims to be the world's largest fancy dress brand. The company offers at least 50 different designs.
The company was founded by brothers Ali and Fraser Smeaton, and their flatmate Gregor Lawson. The trio had jobs at Barclays, Procter & Gamble, and BT, which they left after the first year.
Expansion plans include children's sizes, and female-targeted accessories.
History
According to the founders' account, they were inspired to create the company after either a stag weekend or a one-color costume party in Dublin, to which a friend was wearing a zentaiZentai
Zentai is a term for skin-tight garments that cover the entire body. The word is a contraction of zenshin taitsu...
bodysuit. At the event, the friend became somewhat of a celebrity, being bought drinks and posing for hundreds of pictures. Researching the fancy dress market, the friends invested £3,000 each, redesigning the suit for better vision. The original corporate website cost $300. A variety of materials, thicknesses of material, and stitchings were tried. The moniker of "Morphsuits" stemmed from the fact that "we noticed that everyone who wore them morphed into a more fun version of themselves", says Fraser Smeaton.
Initially, shipping of the first batch of 200 costumes was done from their flat. Balancing their day jobs and the company meant "a lot of 2 a.m. finishes". Since then outsourcing has raised their indirect staffing to 200 as of August 2011.
One early boost to their sales was eight red Morphsuit wearers on the 2009 British Lions tour of South Africa. Their pictures in the sports news boosted awareness. Ironically, many early mainstream appearances of similar suits in North America in fact weren't their brand: The Green Men
The Green Men
The Green Men, known as Force and Sully, are supporters of the Vancouver Canucks. They are known for sitting beside the opposing team's penalty box during Canucks games at Rogers Arena with their green full-body spandex suits. The suits are zentai, from the SuperFan Suit brand...
, two fans of the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
NHL team, used Super Fan Suits, as do hip-hop group The Body Poets, while appearances on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
predate either brand's founding.
As of August 2011, there were 40 varieties, and 50 as of September 2011.
Corporate
As of 2011, Gregor Lawson had worked in brand management for eight years. Trained with "FMCGFast Moving Consumer Goods
Fast moving consumer goods or Consumer Packaged Goods are products that are sold quickly and at relatively low cost. Examples include non-durable goods such as soft drinks, toiletries, and grocery items...
marketing" at Gillette and later Proctor and Gamble, leading marketing on Pantene, Pringles, and Gillette. He left P&G in July 2010. Lawson is brother of Rory Lawson
Rory Lawson
Rory Lawson is a Scottish international rugby union player who currently plays for Gloucester Rugby as a Scrum Half. He attended Dollar Academy where he captained the school's 1st XV. After a number of years playing amateur rugby for Heriots he then took a professional contract with Edinburgh...
, son of Alan Lawson
Alan Lawson
Alan Lawson was born on 19 May 1948 in Kirkcaldy is a retired Scottish rugby union player. He played scrum-half for Scotland on 15 occasions between 1972 and 1980...
, and grandson of Bill McLaren
Bill McLaren
William Pollock "Bill" McLaren CBE was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. Until his retirement in 2002, he was known as 'the voice of rugby'...
.
In their first year, the company sold 20,000 costumes, bringing in £1.2 million. Between January and October 2010, the company shipped 10,000 units to Canada. As of Halloween 2010, they expected £6 million of business in the second year. In the 2010-2011 financial year, they did £4.5m in sales. They expect £10.5m in revenue in the 2011-2012 fiscal year. In October 2010, Morphsuits gave 2011 estimates of £6 million; by July 2011, they told the BBC of a year end estimate of £10 million. The company sold an initial order of 100,000 Morphsuits to retail chain Party City
Party City
Party City is the largest retail party supply store in the United States, including Puerto Rico, with more than 500 corporate and franchised locations...
.
| Fiscal year | Units sold | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 50,000 | £1.2m |
| 2010-11 | 250,000 | £4.5m or £4.2m |
The partners have no direct employees, all jobs are outsourced. As of summer 2011, that included a Chinese manufacturer, warehouses in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, and a customer contact centre in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
.
The founding entrepreneurs have spoken publicly about their dislike for UK tax rules, which make "company owners pay 40 per cent on any sum taken out in dividends above £35,000, against only 10 per cent if they were to sell their business." They have suggested incentives to expand operations would be more beneficial than "inducements" to sell up. The company has had overtures from private equity investors in mid-to-late-2011, since their Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards nomination in Scotland; the company suggests that they're too busy to pay much attention to these offers.
As of October 2010, Fraser looks after the business' commercial side, Gregor runs marketing, while Ali runs finance and logistics.
They have a return rate of just 1%, which they credit to the limited SKU, allowing them to ensure consistent quality of the product.
Marketing
The company's Facebook page has been a key element in their marketing, with 250,000 fans as of Halloween 2010, 760,000 fans as of September 2011. The company uses the page to run photo sharing, competitions, events, and "flash morph meetings". One competition included a design competition for Halloween suits. Within photos, "firsts" are a common occurence. Gregor Lawson has spoken at seminars about technology and business, about their use of Facebook and e-commerce. In reference to rugby, they have described their technique as "scrum marketing".There are regional sales differences: in the United Kingdom, the product is considered year-round, with a small jump in sales near Halloween. In the United States, sales are much more highly focused at the Halloween season. The company runs 13 localized e-commerce websites.
Black is the company's most popular colour. The majority of customers are men, however there are women purchasers. The company hopes that a new morphsuit model with a built-on tutu
Tutu
Tutu may refer to:* Ballet tutu, a type of costume for ballet performances* Tutu , poisonous New Zealand plants of the genus Coriaria* Tutu , a 1986 album by Miles Davis* Tūtū, a composition by Liliuokalani of Hawaii...
will expand female sales.
The company had a booth at the Halloween & Party Expo in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
The brand has tried to distance itself from the term "zentai", and the concept of fetish usage. Being one of the earliest brands to court a general market, the terms "Morphsuits" and "morphs" regularly are applied to events related to any sort of zentai suit. Their term risks becoming generic in the process; one New Zealand-based newspaper refers to competing brand, Jaskins, as a "one of the main online morphsuit brands." Says Gregor: "We now offer 23 different Lycra suits and we have lots of copycat competitors, but because we bought the name Morphsuits no one can trade under that name but us."