VASILY, Inc
AcquiredChiba, JP Β· 1 known investors
ZOZO NEXT is a Japanese company within the ZOZO Group focused on creating new fashion-related businesses and conducting R&D, centered on the ZOZO Research Institute, to solve user problems in fashion through technology.
Also known as VASILY Β· ZOZO NEXT Β· ZOZO NEXT, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Investors Β· 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026VASILY, Inc was a Japanese company founded in October 2008 that operated iQON, a fashion coordinate application on which users assembled and browsed outfit styling. The company built data science capability around the app, employing data scientists to analyze fashion imagery and user behavior. In October 2017 VASILY agreed to be acquired by Start Today Co., Ltd. (TSE:3092, now ZOZO, Inc.), becoming a wholly owned subsidiary; former VASILY staff, including app designers and data scientists, moved into ZOZO Technologies, the ZOZO Research Institute and, following further mergers and corporate splits, into ZOZO NEXT.
The company operates today as ZOZO NEXT, Inc., the ZOZO Group arm responsible for innovation and research and development in fashion, with the stated aim of identifying user problems in fashion and resolving them through technology. Its work is organized around research and development projects spanning smart textiles and IoT (Ambient Weaving, Woven Prototypes), XR and AI (Drip, REVINAL), exhibitions, and the owned fashion technology media property fashion tech news. The ZOZO Research Institute, positioned as the innovation-focused research unit, pursues a mission of "quantifying fashion," working on deep learning analysis of fashion images, recommendation algorithms, and the investigation and analysis of body measurement data.
Founding story
VASILY, Inc was founded in October 2008 under CEO Kotaro Sawada to operate the fashion coordinate application iQON.
Business model
ZOZO NEXT sits inside the ZOZO Group as its innovation and R&D arm rather than as an independent, standalone venture. Its activities include internal research and development projects, exhibitions, an owned media property (fashion tech news, a registered trademark of ZOZO, Inc.), and an effort to extend ZOZO's measurement technology to additional services through partner companies, for which it publicly solicits partners.
Traction
The ZOZO Research Institute has had papers accepted at computer vision and information retrieval conferences (ECCV 2026 and SIGIR 2026). Project output includes exhibitions in Kyoto and at SXSW 2022, a knit fabric speaker shown at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, the "Afterglow" lampshade at SaloneSatellite 2025, and Apple Vision Pro spatial commerce work with ANREALAGE.
Latest developments
In July 2026 ZOZO NEXT announced a joint research project with the University of Tsukuba's Digital Nature Development Research Center on clothing search using onomatopoeia, and the ZOZO Research Institute had papers accepted at ECCV 2026 (announced July 2026) and SIGIR 2026 (announced May 2026).
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
ZOZO NEXT operates as the innovation and R&D division of the ZOZO Group, whose parent ZOZO, Inc. runs the ZOZOTOWN fashion e-commerce site and the WEAR fashion media site.
Technology
Work spans smart textiles and IoT (including Ambient Weaving and Woven Prototypes, developed in part with HOSOO Co., Ltd. and the University of Tokyo), XR and AI projects such as Drip and REVINAL, spatial commerce experiences built for Apple Vision Pro, and body measurement technology. The ZOZO Research Institute applies deep learning to fashion images, develops recommendation algorithms, and analyzes measurement data; researchers also work on soft functional materials and devices and associated interaction and UX design.
Go-to-market
End users of fashion services within the ZOZO Group ecosystem, plus partner companies sought for the deployment of ZOZO's measurement technology across additional products and services.
Geography
Headquartered in Japan, with research collaborations involving Japanese institutions and companies including the University of Tokyo, the University of Tsukuba's Digital Nature Development Research Center, and HOSOO Co., Ltd.; exhibitions have extended to overseas venues such as SXSW in Texas, USA.
History
VASILY, Inc was founded in October 2008 and operated the fashion coordinate application iQON. Globis Capital Partners made an initial investment in December 2012, announced publicly in January 2013. Start Today Co., Ltd. agreed to acquire VASILY on 19 October 2017, making it a wholly owned subsidiary; Globis records the position as exited via that transaction. Staff subsequently joined ZOZO Technologies and the ZOZO Research Institute (2018), and after further company mergers and splits the organization became ZOZO NEXT. In October 2021 a MATRIX department was established for new technology development and commercialization, and in March 2022 ZOZO NEXT exhibited at the SXSW Creative Industries Expo in Texas under the theme "UNVEIL THE FUTURE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY," the ZOZO Group's first overseas exhibition of this kind.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 7
launches, deals, and filingsA paper from the ZOZO Research Institute was accepted at ECCV 2026, a computer vision conference.
ZOZO NEXT and the Digital Nature Development Research Center at the University of Tsukuba began joint research on clothing search using onomatopoeia.
A paper from the ZOZO Research Institute was accepted at SIGIR 2026, an information retrieval and recommender systems conference.
ZOZO NEXT participated in the SXSW Creative Industries Expo in Texas for the first time under the theme "UNVEIL THE FUTURE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY", described as the ZOZO Group's first overseas exhibition of its kind.
ZOZO NEXT's MATRIX department, responsible for new technology development and commercialization, was established with Kotaro Tajima as director.
Start Today Co., Ltd. (TSE:3092) agreed to acquire VASILY, Inc., which would become a wholly owned subsidiary. Globis Capital Partners records the transaction as its exit from VASILY.
Globis Capital Partners published news of its investment in VASILY, Inc, operator of the fashion coordinate application iQON; the firm records its initial investment as December 2012 at the Early stage.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
βΈResearch sources Β· 7
primary sources listed
- VASILY, Inczozonext.com Β· web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does VASILY, Inc do?
- ZOZO NEXT (formerly VASILY, Inc, maker of the iQON fashion app) runs fashion technology R&D inside Japan's ZOZO Group.
- Who are VASILY, Inc's investors?
- VASILY, Inc's investors include Globis Capital Partners.
- Where is VASILY, Inc headquartered?
- VASILY, Inc is headquartered in Chiba, JP.