Morphsuits
{{short description|Scottish company marketing form-fit one-color body suits}}
{{Infobox company
| name = AFG Media o/a Morphsuits
| logo =
| caption =
| type = Private
| foundation = {{Start date|2009||}}
| founder = Ali Smeaton, Fraser Smeaton, Gregor Lawson
| defunct =
| location_city = Edinburgh, Scotland
| location_country = United Kingdom
| location =
| locations =
| area_served =
| key_people = Smeaton, Smeaton, Lawson
| industry = Fancy dress/costume
| products = Morphsuits, Morphsuits Kids
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| owner = Smeaton, Smeaton, Lawson
| num_employees = 22 direct
| homepage = {{URL|www.morphsuits.com}}
| footnotes =
| intl =
}}
Morphsuits is a company in Edinburgh, Scotland that distributes branded spandex costumes that cover the entire body, a brand of zentai suit. Offering over 80 different designs, it was founded by brothers Ali and Fraser Smeaton and their flatmate Gregor Lawson.{{cite news|title=Edinburgh firm Morphsuits stretches global reach|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-14252711|access-date=28 September 2011|newspaper=BBC.co.uk|date=23 July 2011|location=London UK}}
It later added children's sizes, called MorphKids, and female-targeted accessories.
It is a division of AFG Media, which includes menswear line Foul Fashion and golf wear line Royal & Awesome.
History
File:Morphsuit photoshoot leap.jpg
According to the founders' account, they were inspired to create the company after a one-color costume party in Dublin, to which a friend of the founders was wearing a zentai bodysuit. At the event, the friend became somewhat of a celebrity, being bought drinks and posing for hundreds of pictures. After researching the fancy dress market, Smeaton, Smeaton, and Lawson invested £1,000 each. The original corporate website cost $300.
Beginning in May 2009, 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" while running their business. As of August 2011, outsourcing had raised their indirect staffing to 200. As of late 2012, suits were manufactured in Shanghai.
The company received a boost to its sales when the 2009 British Lions tour of South Africa, at which eight fans wore red Morphsuits, was covered extensively by sports journalists and photographers.
File:Remix Monkeys Dance Clan group pose.jpg
As of August 2011, there were 40 varieties,{{cite journal|last=Heugel|first=Abby|title=Morphsuit Mania|journal=Party and Paper|date=23 August 2011|url=http://partypaper.com/index.php/magazine/article/morphsuit-mania|access-date=29 September 2011|location=Sparta MI}} and 50 as of September 2011.{{cite news|title=Morphsuits trio urge tax changes to help growth|newspaper=Scotland on Sunday|date=18 September 2011|author=Kristy Dorsey|author2=Terry Murden|location=Edinburgh UK}} MorphKids, a child's-sized line, was launched in the United States before any other market. The company sold 35,000 units in 48 hours.{{cite news|last=Roberts|first=Katie|title=Morphsuits launches kids range|url=http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/36173/Morphsuits-launches-kids-range|access-date=11 May 2012|newspaper=ToyNews Online|date=11 May 2012|location=Hertford UK|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514034406/http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/36173/Morphsuits-launches-kids-range|archive-date=2012-05-14|url-status=dead}} Around Halloween 2012, a psychologist noted increased confidence and social skills in children wearing the outfits, and an "overall calming effect" in children with autism.{{cite news|last=Hudson|first=Catherine|title=Trendspotting: Morphsuits|url=http://www.madeformums.com/hot-stuff/trendspotting-morphsuits/24019.html|access-date=3 November 2012|newspaper=Made for Mums|date=22 October 2012|location=London}} As of April 2013, the company stated it expected MorphKids to outstrip the parent brand four-fold. In October 2012, Morphsuits launched their first licensed design, featuring Saban's Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers;{{cite news|last=Sacco|first=Dominic|title=Morphsuits launches Power Rangers costumes|url=http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/37393/Morphsuits-launches-Power-Rangers-costumes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017112608/http://www.toynews-online.biz/news/37393/Morphsuits-launches-Power-Rangers-costumes|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 October 2012|access-date=3 November 2012|newspaper=ToyNews|date=15 October 2012|location=Hertford, Hertfordshire, UK}} the company claims the costumes were the "best-selling item" in their history.{{cite news|title=Power Ranger Morphsuits mark shows 20th anniversary|url=http://www.atvtoday.co.uk/power-rangers-3829/|access-date=3 November 2012|newspaper=ATV Today|date=12 October 2012}} With their investment from BFG, they hoped to pursue the Spider-Man license, deeming licenses "fundamental to the business's future success." In 2013 Morphsuits added "Animal Planet" Morphsuits, including a Vampire Bat with fabric wings connected to the arms, and a Cobra with a neck frill. Other products include the head-only lycra Morphmask and Megamorph, an inflated suit with lycra over the head, hands, and feet.
Corporate
As of May 2011, it claimed to be the world's largest fancy dress brand.{{cite web|title=Meet the Scholars 2011|url=http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/Journals/2011/05/11/Meet-the-Scholars-2011---Final.pdf|publisher=The Marketing Academy|access-date=29 September 2011|date=11 May 2011}}{{dead link|date=October 2015}}
As of 2011, Gregor Lawson had worked in brand management for eight years. Trained with "FMCG marketing" (fast-moving consumer goods) at Gillette and later Procter & Gamble, he led marketing on Pantene, Pringles, and Gillette. He left P&G in July 2010. Lawson is brother of rugby union player Rory Lawson, son of rugby union player Alan Lawson, and grandson of rugby union commentator 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.{{cite news|last=Bascaramurty|first=Dakshana|title=Zentai suits – not just fetish wear any more|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/family-and-relationships/halloween/zentai-suits-not-just-fetish-wear-any-more/article1776757/|access-date=28 September 2011|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=28 October 2010|location=Toronto ON}} 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 company expect sales of £309,980 in October 2012.{{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Charlie|title=Halloween Helps Bring Retail And Events Back From The Undead|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/10/24/halloween-helps-bring-retail-and-events-back-from-the-undead_n_2010128.html|access-date=3 November 2012|newspaper=Huffpost Business United Kingdom|date=25 October 2012}}
As of 2011, the partners had no direct employees, with all roles being 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. In 2012, Mishal Verjee was added as Marketing Director. One September 2012 article cited AFG in employing 21 staff at five sites worldwide, but did not clarify if they were direct or outsourced.{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Hattie|title=How I Made It: Greg Lawson and Fraser Smeaton of AFG Media|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/small_business/article1126719.ece|access-date=8 May 2013|newspaper=The Sunday Times|date=16 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927103217/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/small_business/article1126719.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 September 2013|location=London|url-access=subscription }}
The founding entrepreneurs have spoken publicly about their dislike for UK tax rules, which make "company owners pay 40 percent on any sum taken out in dividends above £35,000, against only 10 percent if they were to sell their business." They have suggested incentives to expand operations would be more beneficial than "inducements" to sell their company. The company received overtures from private equity investors in 2011, since their Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards nomination in Scotland, that year; they have suggested the business has kept them too busy to consider any of the offers.
In February 2012, the company (as AFG Media) received a £600,000 loan from Barclays Corporate.{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-17099341 | work=BBC News | title=Loan to help 'morphsuit' maker meet demand | date=20 February 2012}}
In July 2012, Business Growth Fund invested £4.2 million in AFG,{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Tim|title=Business Growth Fund invests £4.2m in fancy dress Morphsuits|url=http://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/business-growth-fund-invests-4-2m-in-fancy-dress-morphsuits/|access-date=7 May 2013|newspaper=The Manufacturer|date=28 April 2013|location=London}} the size of its stake was unannounced, but their firm generally takes between 10% and 40% of the share capital.{{cite news|title=BGF sees promise in Morphsuits firm AFG Media|url=http://www.growthbusiness.co.uk/news-and-market-deals/fundraising-deals/2110823/bgf-sees-promise-in-morphsuits-firm-afg-media.thtml|access-date=8 May 2013|newspaper=Growth Business|date=2 July 2012|location=London}} The investment was meant to help product development, the MorphKids line, and develop supply chain as the company looks to expand in the US, Europe, Mexico, Russia, Japan and China. Ralph Kugler was introduced as chairman of the company's board, and Duncan Macrae also added to the board.
They have a low rate of product return, at just 1%, which they credit to the limited SKU (stock-keeping unit), allowing them to ensure consistent quality of the product.
At least some products are sourced through Alibaba.{{Citation|title=Alibaba.com Buyers - Morphsuits|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_WhMcppV5E|language=en|access-date=2021-04-20}}{{Cite web|last=Macdonald|first=Neil|date=2014-09-18|title=Bigger than Amazon and eBay, Alibaba set to float|url=https://www.channel4.com/news/alibaba-flotation-nyse-jack-ma-china-ebay-amazon-morphsuits|access-date=2021-04-20|website=Channel 4 News|language=en-GB}}
Marketing
File:Morphsuit photoshoot in air.jpg
Gregor Lawson has spoken at seminars about technology and business, about their use of Facebook and e-commerce. Much of their marketing strategy is based on fans' ideas, a process Fraser Smeaton calls "scrum marketing"; suit designs, potential sales outlets, and competitions have all been dictated by its followers.{{cite web|title=The Joy of 'Dex: Interview with Morphsuits |url=http://www.nmk.co.uk/article/2011/12/13/the-joy-of-%E2%80%98dex-interview-with-morphsuits |work=NMK |publisher=University of Westminster |access-date=19 December 2011 |location=London |date=13 December 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109143254/http://nmk.co.uk/article/2011/12/13/the-joy-of-%E2%80%98dex-interview-with-morphsuits |archive-date=January 9, 2012 }}
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 Morphsuits' customers are men, but the company hopes that a new morphsuit model with a built-on tutu will expand female sales.
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" are regularly applied to events related to any sort of zentai suit. Their term risks becoming a genericized trademark in the process; one New Zealand newspaper refers to a competing brand, Jaskins, as a "one of the main online morphsuit brands."{{cite news|title=Second skin, secret life|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/4148334/Second-skin-secret-life|access-date=15 July 2011|newspaper=Taranaki Daily News|date=21 September 2010|location=New Plymouth NZ}}
For a while, the website's FAQ page listed the suits as legal globally. This response either ignored or overlooked Anti-mask laws, such as those in France.
References
{{reflist|3}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline|Morphsuits}}
- {{official website|http://www.morphsuits.com}}
Category:Clothing companies of Scotland
Category:Clothing companies established in 2009
Category:Clothing companies of the United Kingdom