Can a dress really change colour at the push of a button?

Can a dress really change colour at the push of a button?

Professor Stephen Westland and Elaine Evans, Teaching Fellow in Fashion, give their opinions to the Metro UK on the technology needed to produce a colour changeable dress and why the example sweeping the internet is probably a fake.

Online fashion retailer, ShowPo, claim to have created a ‘game changer’ of a dress, which appears to change colour at the touch of an iPad button. In a video which is sweeping the internet and picking up media attention, the dress appears to seamlessly change color whilst being worn by a model.

However, without much explanation of the technology behind the dress, people are doubting the companies claims and Metro UK turned to Stephen Westland  and Elaine Evans from the School of Design to give their expert opinions.

Speaking to the Metro, Stephen explains that the dress is, ‘almost certainly fake. I really doubt that the fabric could change colour that quickly. There are thermochromic dates. But could they change so quickly? I doubt it.

‘One idea that could work is to add tiny LED lights inside the fabric. They could change colour quickly. But I doubt a dress based on this tech could change so smoothly and uniformly. It’s probably fake.There is a tiny chance it is not but if so it is a major breakthrough.’

Elaine adds, ‘I’m not convinced that the technology is at a level you could get the results shown in the video at that speed or in such a fluid fabric.

‘I also think that the informality of the video is suspicious too – no information is given about who has developed the technology, or how this may be marketed to interested parties.’