Start Today, the company Yusaku Maezawa established in 1998, grew from a mail-order music retail business into the foundation for Zozotown, which emerged as the largest online fashion platform in Japan. His professional trajectory spans sectors as varied as apparel technology, contemporary art curation, and commercial space exploration, often characterized by high-profile public engagement strategies and substantial capital investment.
Retail and Technology Expansion
Maezawa transitioned his initial mail-order album sales into the public company Start Today by 2000. In 2004, he launched Zozotown, a retail website that became a significant fixture in the Japanese fashion industry. The business expanded its reach by 2012, listing on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In 2018, he introduced the Zozo brand alongside the Zozosuit, an at-home measurement system deployed across more than 72 countries. By September 2019, he resigned from his leadership role at Zozo after selling a majority stake to SoftBank for 400 billion Yen, while also divesting part of his holdings to Yahoo Japan.
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In 2012, he established the Tokyo-based Contemporary Art Foundation to support emerging creators. His acquisitions reached global prominence in May 2016, when he spent $98 million over two days at an auction, including $57.3 million for an Untitled devil artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat. In May 2017, he purchased another Untitled Basquiat painting of a skull for $110.5 million. He holds a significant collection and maintains plans for an art museum in Chiba, having sold an untitled Basquiat piece for $85 million in 2022.
Spaceflight and Public Projects
Maezawa pursued commercial spaceflight, beginning with a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. Launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 8 December 2021 via the Soyuz MS-20, he spent his time on the orbital station performing public-requested tasks and recording footage. While he was previously announced as the first commercial passenger for a SpaceX Starship circumlunar flight in 2018, the #dearMoon project was officially cancelled on 1 June 2024 following launch vehicle delays. Additionally, his public marketing campaigns included offering cash prizes to followers who engaged with his social media posts.
Fast facts
- Born: 1975, Kamagaya, Japan
- Founder: Start Today, 1998
- Primary retail platform: Zozotown
- Awards: Officer of Arts and Letters (2018), Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon (2020)
- Spaceflight: Soyuz MS-20 mission, December 2021
- Net worth estimate: $1.5 billion (July 2025)
- Personal assets: Pagani Zonda ZoZo, Nausicaä superyacht
Questions readers ask
Did Yusaku Maezawa go to the Moon?
No. Although he was selected as the first commercial passenger for a SpaceX circumlunar mission, the #dearMoon project was cancelled in June 2024.
What is the Zozosuit?
The Zozosuit is an at-home measurement system introduced by Maezawa in 2018 to facilitate custom-fit clothing orders.
Achievements
- Educated at Waseda Jitsugyo and Waseda University Junior and Senior High School
- Worked as businessperson, musician and astronaut
