Today, Generra Co. is a contemporary women’s and men’s apparel brand headquartered in New York City. In the early 2000s, the technique was revived by a number of apparel brands. In mid-2020, the color-changing clothing trend was revived yet again by several online retailers selling color-changing swim trunks.
Who created Hypercolor shirts?
Generra Sportswear
THE ’80s have been mined so thoroughly, so deeply, it’s come to this: Hypercolor is back. Generra Sportswear created the craze in ’91, with heat-sensitive T-shirts that changed colors like magic.
What year did Hypercolor shirts come out?
1991
The marketing assault created heavy anticipation for the official debut of Hypercolor in January 1991.
How are Hypercolor shirts made?
The shirts are manufactured with two dyes: one regular dye that provides the constant “true” color of the fabric, and a thermochromic dye enclosed in microcapsules bound to the fabric’s fibers.
Why did my shirt change color?
It’s actually steam! As moisture is turned into steam and removed from the fabric, one thing that happens is that the color of your garment is it will darken where the heat press touched it. This change in color will be most noticeable on colors like mid-toned colors like Red, Royal, Purple, and Green.
How does Crazy Aaron’s Hypercolor putty work?
So of course we would geek out over Crazy Aaron’s Heat Sensitive Hypercolor Putty. The kneadable substance changes color as you play with it. The putty is thermochromic—which means it reacts to heat—so the warmth of your hands is the only thing you need to change the putty from purple to blue or from orange to yellow.
How do you wash a Hypercolor shirt?
Machine wash with cold or warm water, inside out, with other white clothing. Do not use chlorine bleach. Tumble dry medium heat.
What is thermochromic fabric?
Thermochromic materials enable the colour or pattern of textiles to change with temperature, showing a “dynamic change” effect.
How do you stop dye migration?
To avoid dye migration when printing polyester, it might be wise to purchase an ink formulated specifically for printing on polyester, or to add a low-cure additive to the ink you intend to use. Inks that cure at lower temperatures are one of the key factors in avoiding dye migration.
What is a Hypercolor T-shirt?
Introduced by Generra at the tail end of those colour-crazy ’80s, HyperColor promised a T-shirt revolution. The patented “Metamorphic Colour System” caused the shirt’s colour to change when it came in contact with heat. Press a warm hand onto your belly, and your purple shirt would have a temporary pink handprint.
What happened to the Hypercolor craze?
Unfortunately, wearing a HyperColor shirt seemed to give everybody the right to put their sweaty palms all over you or breathe on you. The HyperColor craze faded like a bad tie-dye by the early 90s, and Generra had to lay off a quarter of its staff by the spring of 1992.
Who makes Generra Hypercolor clothing?
They were manufactured by Generra Sportswear Company of Seattle and marketed in the United States as Generra Hypercolor or Generra Hypergrafix and elsewhere as Global Hypercolor. They contained a thermochromic pigment made by Matsui Shikiso Chemical of Japan, that changed between two colors—one when cold, one when warm.
What is the effect of temperature on the color of Hypercolor?
Therefore, at the low temperature the color of the shirt is the combination of the color of the encapsulated colored dye with the color of the dyed fabric, while at higher temperatures the capsules become colorless and the color of the fabric prevails. ^ a b c “Hypercolor is hot again”.