NZ tech company develops smart suit that measures itself

Hate trying on clothes? A New Zealand tech company has come up with a plan to avoid this sometimes tedious task by measuring the exact dimensions of your body and creating a perfectly-fitting suit.

The ZozoSuit, developed by New Zealand-based wearable sensing systems company StretchSense, has been teamed up with Japan's largest online fashion retailer StartToday, which this week released the unique product.

The ZozoSuit was developed in close collaboration between the two companies and provides precise measurement of body shape to avoid poorly-fitting clothes when buying clothes online.

"The ZozoSuit is a realisation of that vision, blurring the line between clothing and technology with lightweight sensing elements, flexible cabling and miniaturised electronics all fully integrated into a skin-tight garment," the company said in a statement.

The technology uses over 150 integrated sensors on a full-body "smart garment" that conforms to the wearer, delivering precise data on body shape and size.

"StartToday's goal for the ZozoSuit is to ensure online clothing shoppers get a guaranteed fit with their purchases, significantly improving customer satisfaction while reducing the number of returns the retailer has to process."

Meanwhile, StretchSense announced yesterday it had completed negotiation for a call option agreement allowing StartToday to selectively conduct a full acquisition of the company in the future.

StretchSense chief executive Ben O'Brien said its New Zealand operations, encompassing two sites in Auckland with over 130 employees, would continue across all departments, with further growth to be supported by the resources afforded by StartToday.

"This deal with StartToday is a great sign for New Zealand's technology ecosystem. It proves it's possible for a Kiwi technology company to build itself up from essentially nothing into a world-class operation capable of competing on the global stage," he said.