Thermochromatic fashion -- clothing made of a fabric that changes color with reaction to heat -- is rapidly becoming a fad in the fashion world.

Hypercolor first broke onto the scene in the late 1980s. The color-changing pigment was developed in Japan, and the clothing line that first used the technology was manufactured by Generra company, according to nationmaster.com, an educational reference Web site.

The fad then died down in the early 1990s, almost as quickly as it had erupted. The cause of this thermochromatic recession is speculated to be because the garments were easily damaged when exposed to too much sunlight or washed in hotter water than was recommended, according to the Web site.

New advances in technology, however, have brought Hypercolor back with a vengeance. Thermochromatic products can be purchased through multiple online sites, and are now beginning to appear in mainstream retail markets through the company American Apparel.

Karl Clayton, vice president of a company called Body Faders, has made an impact on the reemergence of thermochromatic technology in today's market. He and his partners opened the company four years ago and started working on modernizing the Hypercolor concept.

"We started working on the formula from scratch, focusing on the wash and heat issues," Clayton said.

After this long process, Clayton finally created a formula that was four to five times more durable than the original Hypercolor. Body Faders has created a thermochromatic dye that can withstand the heat of screen printing and endure enough UV exposure to be made into bikini wear.

"We are trying to get the word out that our product is better than what came out in the '80s," Clayton said.

Body Faders has licensed its dyeing process to other manufacturers in the U.S. and around the world. The company is also working with stores that are reselling its patent.

Jessica Hessler, an

employee at Connections, 130 S. Allen Street, has also noticed these bold colors and other '80s inspired trends -- such as leggings and acid-washed jeans -- beginning to trickle down from the runways to low-end retailers.

One company that has taken to the trend is Change Me Clothing. The company got into the manufacturing of thermochromatic clothing in the spring of this year.

Kevin Begola, a co-owner of the company, lived through the original Hypercolor phaseand was surprised to find few people were producing these color-changing products before he started his business.

"It was such a cool concept back in the day," Begola said. "It is basically just a trend that we wanted to bring to the next generation."

Begola said Hypercolor was due for a comeback because so many other concepts from the era have made their way into modern fashion.

"The bold colors and designs are another unique way to express yourself," he said.

Hessler added she believes stores such as American Apparel that are deciding to stock thermochromatic products will make the trend popular again in this era.

"Because American Apparel is marketing this trend, it means it will probably blow up and become mainstream again," she said.

Begola, though, said he is not worried that the American Apparel line will take anything away from his own business and other smaller companies.

"American Apparel clothing strikes a chord with a certain buyer because not everyone is going to buy a $34 t-shirt," he said. "We are geared toward a different buyer, that is the everyday person that just wants a cool shirt."

Begola said he considers the American Apparel line to be good exposure for his company.

Clayton added he feels a new spin on thermochromatic styles is exactly the type of thing that the fashion market is looking to project.

"We want to start stimulating the fashion market to do something fun," he said.

COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER | ead5089@psu.edu

Thermochromatic fashion -- clothing made of a fabric that changes color with reaction to heat -- is rapidly becoming a fad in the fashion world.

Hypercolor first broke onto the scene in the late 1980s. The color-changing pigment was developed in Japan, and the clothing line that first used the technology was manufactured by Generra company, according to nationmaster.com, an educational reference Web site.

The fad then died down in the early 1990s, almost as quickly as it had erupted. The cause of this thermochromatic recession is speculated to be because the garments were easily damaged when exposed to too much sunlight or washed in hotter water than was recommended, according to the Web site.

New advances in technology, however, have brought Hypercolor back with a vengeance. Thermochromatic products can be purchased through multiple online sites, and are now beginning to appear in mainstream retail markets through the company American Apparel.

Karl Clayton, vice president of a company called Body Faders, has made an impact on the reemergence of thermochromatic technology in today's market. He and his partners opened the company four years ago and started working on modernizing the Hypercolor concept.

"We started working on the formula from scratch, focusing on the wash and heat issues," Clayton said.

After this long process, Clayton finally created a formula that was four to five times more durable than the original Hypercolor. Body Faders has created a thermochromatic dye that can withstand the heat of screen printing and endure enough UV exposure to be made into bikini wear.

"We are trying to get the word out that our product is better than what came out in the '80s," Clayton said.

Body Faders has licensed its dyeing process to other manufacturers in the U.S. and around the world. The company is also working with stores that are reselling its patent.

Jessica Hessler, an

employee at Connections, 130 S. Allen Street, has also noticed these bold colors and other '80s inspired trends -- such as leggings and acid-washed jeans -- beginning to trickle down from the runways to low-end retailers.

One company that has taken to the trend is Change Me Clothing. The company got into the manufacturing of thermochromatic clothing in the spring of this year.

Kevin Begola, a co-owner of the company, lived through the original Hypercolor phaseand was surprised to find few people were producing these color-changing products before he started his business.

"It was such a cool concept back in the day," Begola said. "It is basically just a trend that we wanted to bring to the next generation."

Begola said Hypercolor was due for a comeback because so many other concepts from the era have made their way into modern fashion.

"The bold colors and designs are another unique way to express yourself," he said.

Hessler added she believes stores such as American Apparel that are deciding to stock thermochromatic products will make the trend popular again in this era.

"Because American Apparel is marketing this trend, it means it will probably blow up and become mainstream again," she said.

Begola, though, said he is not worried that the American Apparel line will take anything away from his own business and other smaller companies.

"American Apparel clothing strikes a chord with a certain buyer because not everyone is going to buy a $34 t-shirt," he said. "We are geared toward a different buyer, that is the everyday person that just wants a cool shirt."

Begola said he considers the American Apparel line to be good exposure for his company.

Clayton added he feels a new spin on thermochromatic styles is exactly the type of thing that the fashion market is looking to project.

"We want to start stimulating the fashion market to do something fun," he said.