Vintage Hypercolor T-Shirts Are Tie Dye For

In this section, we highlight the vintage shirts you simply must have in your poly-cotton arsenal. Some are hot commodities while others are speculation on a future trend.

Selection: Vintage Hypercolor T-Shirt

Demand: Moderate

Price: $30-$75

Info: We all remember the legendary Generra tee that changed color when exposed to heat, but how did it do that? Well, sit on my lap and let me explain. The regular color of the shirt is a combination of two different inks, a base color that the fabric was dyed with, and a heat sensitive or “thermochromic” ink that’s sealed in a transparent shell and bound to the fibers of the fabric. When exposed to heat, a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo takes place: the periodic table of elements is involved, square roots, pi, and at the end of it there’s even a dreadful remainder. So in laymen’s terms, heat causes the thermochromic portion of the color to become transparent which exposes only the base color of the fabric. Take that, Mr. Wizard!

HOT: All of the incarnations of the tee from the 1991 are attracting bids. Those fetching the higher prices have maintained their ability to change color. You see, improper laundry care, like hot washes and drying, hamper the shirts technology. Sadly many of the shirts around today are just ugly-colored shirts that don’t do anything. Pitty. However, I do suggest these defective shirts for people who tend to have arm pit issues, as active Hypercolor highlights this problem.

BUY LOW: Hypercolor couldn’t have flourished if tie dye hadn’t already set the stage in previous decades. So whether you like it or not, there will come a day that tie dye shirts will be cool again. There’s already been a huge increase in value of Grateful Dead‘s 90s tie dyes. Most tie dyes are obnoxious, but some of the more subtle ones have quite nice colors, and can be snapped up for next to nothing.

View the previous Essential Selection: vintage Pushead t-shirts.