Hypercolor was a line of clothing, mainly
T-shirts and
shorts, that changed
color with heat. They were manufactured by
Generra and marketed in the
United States as
Generra Hypercolor or
Generra Hypergrafix and outside the US as
Global Hypercolor. They contained a
thermochromic pigment made by
Matsui Shikiso Chemical of
Japan, that changed between two colors–one when cold, one when warm. The shirts were produced with several color change choices beginning in 1988.
The effect could easily be permanently damaged, particularly when the clothing was washed in hotter than recommended water.