THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 16, 1994 TAG: 9412140193
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
AS MIKE MITCHEM pointed the nozzle of a hair dryer toward a T-shirt, the spots on a Dalmation dog pictured on the shirt changed from black to hot pink, blue and celery green.
Mitchem was tending shop at the Color by Touch kiosk at Greenbrier Mall, where he is one of three business partners.
Company promotion literature touts the Color by Touch clothing as ``the T-shirt of the future.'' Almost magically, heat causes the shirts to change color.
The fascinating effect is the product of two types of technology - thermochromic and photochromic.
``The difference between the two processes is that in the thermochromic, it's the design that changes color,'' Mitchem said. ``But in the photochromic, the garment changes colors because quartz crystals are incorporated into the dyes. The crystals refract the sun's light. In full light the designs change from black-and-white to color.''
``I think the photochromic process is a very exciting technology,'' he said. ``It adds an exciting new dimension to the T-shirt industry, because each shirt is like having two shirts. The process allows for a lot of possibilities.''
Jon S. Jackson, partner and regional marketing director for the company, explained that the inks are invisible to the naked eye indoors and come to life with color when exposed to the sun's ultraviolet rays.
``Thermochromic designs change from one color to another above and below 80 degrees,'' Jackson explained. ``Our fully dyed products combine the two technologies.''
Below 80 degrees, a fully dyed pink T-shirt will retain its color. Exposed to ultraviolet rays below 80 degrees, the same shirt turns purple before your very eyes. Above 80 degrees, the garment turns yellow. Add ultraviolet rays above 80 degrees and it turns green.
On one group of Color by Touch T-shirts, the designs include sports figures who appear when the garment is worn out-of-doors, but disappear when it goes indoors. And in full sunlight a white baseball cap takes on the color and appearance of blue denim.
The business features T-shirts, boxer shorts, baseball caps, socks, paper products, finger, hand and bath towels. All the T-shirts sell for $19.99. Other prices range from $4.99 for socks to $34.99 for sweatshirts.
``We have an exchange guarantee,'' Jon Jackson said. ``If someone purchases a product and it should fail to produce a color changing result, we will replace it without charge.''
Initially, to determine color retention, products were tested through 250 washes.
The parent company, GSR, is located in Provo, Utah, and Color by Touch is a distributorship, started with an investment of about $25,000.
``We sort of stumbled upon the idea,'' Jackson admitted. ``We're testing the products in this area. Our marketing plan will be based on the results of popularity of customer response in the kiosk.''
According to Jackson, each of the three partners represents a different aspect of the business.
``David (Harrington) had the Money,'' and Mike (Mitchem) had knowledge in salesmanship and presentation,'' said Jackson, who recently earned a business degree from the University of Virginia. He organized and set up the business.
Being in retail is new to David Harrington, who was a crew boat launch captain.
``I saw the photochromic and theromochromic processes and liked the idea,'' said Harrington, who managed the kiosk wearing black, high-top Reeboks and gray cotton casual pants with his beige Color by Touch T-shirt with an iguana design. ``I thought I'd give it try.''
``This is a test market to see how well the products sell,'' Harrington said. ``Last weekend business was real good. It's been going pretty good so far. The only problem is having to keep demonstrating because people think this is just another T-shirt. But the more we present the product, the better the response we get. Seeing is believing.''
Future plans at Color by Touch include more custom designing for business, the possibility of wholesaling to retailers and selling their products at specialty events such as the Jubilee or the Neptune Festival. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Left to right, Jon Jackson, Mike Mitchem and David Harrington own
Color by Touch at Greenbrier Mall.
by CNB