For pranksters of a certain age, Fraser Smeaton is a hero. With his brother, Ali, and former roommate, Gregor Lawson, the Scottish business leader is cofounder of MorphCostumes. The U.K. company launched a twist on the zentai full-body spandex suit in 2009 and spawned a legion of viral videos. When a Gap store on Fifth Avenue was “morphed” by a band of improv-artists in 2018, the police had to be called. The accompanying video received millions of views.
MorphCostumes’ biggest market is America, particularly around Halloween, when children from Detroit to West Palm Beach like nothing better than ghost outfits and fake blood. Smeaton—who runs the company from its Edinburgh headquarters—is now an expert in global tariff policy and the negative impact of economic volatility and barriers to trade. The President should give him a call.
