In a boon to gaunt models with fond memories of the late 1980’s, American Apparel has reintroduced the hypercolor t-shirt. The shirts, which the company deems “thermocromatic” (the word hypercolor is still trademarked), change their color when introduced to variations in heat.
Shipments of the shirts began arriving in American Apparel stores this week and are available for both men and women. The color change ability is due to thermocromatic dye placed above the dye of the t-shirt fabric. The result produces a shift in color when the fabric is introduced to either heat or cold.
The hypercolor shirt gained popularity in the late 1980’s before being retired in the early 90’s. Popular with schoolchildren, the t-shirts could be manipulated by attacking the wearer with a squirt of bottled water or by tightly gripping the breasts with clasped hands.
No word if American Apparel intends to reintroduced other awesome-80’s fads, such as the pogoball.
American Apparel Thermocromatic T-Shirt
$34 uninsex
Available in vermillion, fast-blue and green.
Sizes XS through Xl
I’m guilty of thinking this is cool.
June 20, 2008 at 1:18 pmhow long till the SurfStyle windbreakers are back in style?
http://www.thenincompoop.com/surfstyle.jpg
Yuck, but inevitable.
While we’re at it, let’s all go to summer camp and reluctantly fake our way through semi-sports under the hands-off direction of high school stoners.
Floor hockey, anyone?
June 20, 2008 at 2:37 pmThere’s a lot of things about growing up in the early 90s that I’d love to forget. This is one of them.
June 20, 2008 at 4:01 pmweren’t they at some point replaced by hand-made Batik shirts?
June 20, 2008 at 4:26 pmI want a hypercolor suit
June 20, 2008 at 4:36 pmfor maximum effect, obvi pair them with fresh zubaz: http://zubaz.com/
June 20, 2008 at 4:41 pmdamn for a second i thought this was about CROSS -colors
June 20, 2008 at 4:44 pmI seem to remember my original hypercolor losing its potency after a while, and it turning into an ugly (uglier?) middle ground combo of the two colors
June 20, 2008 at 5:28 pmAll drink spillage on these shirts is very obvious. Don’t sweat in them either.
June 20, 2008 at 9:47 pmtoo late, Zubaz are already back!
June 21, 2008 at 8:34 amI think the hypercolor shorts were far worse. Let’s hope those don’t make a comeback
June 23, 2008 at 11:44 amhaha i remember these! haha i would be too selfconcious about my armpits lol
June 23, 2008 at 7:38 pmyeah I think this is a great concept. I found a better shirt over at http://www.changemeclothing.com they have better prices. With the 80’s gear coming back this will be right up there. i think they are rad!
June 24, 2008 at 10:03 amwhat’s next, puff paint?
June 25, 2008 at 10:08 amThe little sticker on the shirt says something to the effect that this will be the last trend AA will attempt to bring back. Not really sure what that means.
June 25, 2008 at 10:58 amThere is a company in Michigan, Body Faders, that has been producing heat and UV activated color changing apparel for over 3 years. Also American made, more color and style choices, better prices.
July 7, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Weird. Back a long time ago I dated a girl whose father invented this shit. I had a Mr. Kool-Ade t-shirt that was hypercolor, Mr. Kool-Ade changed colors with heat, more importantly it was the only one ever made as it was a demo.
I have no fucking clue what happened to it. Probably gave it to some other chick. There’s an Australian ballet dancer with one of my Genera shirts, too. Man I loved me some Genera in 1989.
June 20, 2008 at 1:14 pm