ZOZO: the history behind Japanese fashion e-commerce
ZOZO was established in Japan in 1998 as Start Today, initially selling imported CDs and records through mail order.
How ZOZO developed
The business shifted decisively toward fashion e-commerce and launched ZOZOTOWN in 2004. It listed publicly, changed its corporate name to ZOZO in 2018 and entered a capital alliance with Yahoo Japan in 2019 while experimenting with measurement and fashion-technology products.
ZOZO in 2026
By 2026, ZOZO operated one of Japan’s best-known online fashion marketplaces and related technology services.
ZOZO’s transformation from music mail order to a large fashion platform demonstrates how early internet retailers could reinvent category focus as consumer behaviour and logistics infrastructure matured.
Information was checked against public company material, regulatory filings and reputable independent reporting where available, using sources accessible on 18 September 2026.
