Education

Colorful and Cool

By Sally K. Gifford — September 04, 1991 1 min read
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What’s pink and purple and cool all over? Hypercolor, of course--the latest trend in youth fashion.

Created by the Generra Sportswear Company using a Japanese-invented chemical process, Hypercolor shirts, tank tops, and shorts possess the chameleon-like ability to change color when exposed to heat. Sort of a “mood ring” for your body.

Introduced to stores in March, the sportswear comes in light purple, gray, and orange and is transformed into hot pink, blue, or green when touched, breathed upon, or perspired upon.

And therein lies its appeal to youthful fad-followers, who seem to be quickly snatching up the items.

Asked why she bought her mercurial T, Alexis, 10, of Washington, D.C., succinctly replied, “I like it,” and demonstrated her lavender shirt’s appeal by blowing on a sleeve and turning it bright pink.

Debbie Polchinoff, a sales assistant in the junior’s section of a Virginia department store, commented on the product’s hands-on appeal for children and adults alike.

“Kids love playing with them,” Ms. Polchinoff says. “They’ve definitely been buying them for back-to-school wear.”

And even though the T-shirts retail for $28, she recounts, “mothers still call in to see if they’re in stock.”

The coming weeks will tell if the Hypercolor shirts can rival the infamy of last year’s Bart Simpson T-shirt, which quickly became the bane of school principals nationwide.

A version of this article appeared in the September 04, 1991 edition of Education Week as Colorful and Cool

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