High fashion meets high tech with this new spray-on clothing designed by a Spanish fashionisto. The design team also hopes to use the technology for spray-on bandages and hygienic upholstery.
Manel Torres worked with scientists at Imperial College London to invent the silly-string-like spray, announced just in time for Fashion Week.
The sprayable shirt consists of short fibers mixed with polymers, dissolved into a solvent that allows it to be sprayed from an aerosol can or high-pressure gun, according to the Guardian. Torres can use wool, linen or acrylic fibers to change the texture of the fabric, the Guardian reports. The resulting fabric can be removed and washed with the rest of your laundry.
Don’t like the color or feel? Simply dissolve it, using the same solvent, and start over.
Demonstrating the technology for British media, Torres sprayed it on two models to create form-fitting shirts. The spray is very cold when it hits the skin, but it dries instantly upon impact.
He takes care to spray extra fibers on the sleeves, ensuring it will be strong enough to withstand normal movement. Initially, it resembles body paint in the way it fits against the skin, but as soon as you start moving, it wrinkles just like a normal shirt.
Torres will display the fabric as part of his spring/summer collection at the Science in Style fashion show in London next week.
The Guardian says he worked with chemical engineers to design the system, and the ultimate goal is a sanitary spray-on bandage system to instantly deliver medication, dress wounds or soothe burnt skin.
But fashionable tops are a great way to showcase the technology. After all, it can be frustrating to pull on a form-fitting shirt, especially if you don’t want to mess up your hair. Now you can just spray it on instead.
